Picking Up The Pieces
by SR240
Summary: Aang and Katara suffer a tragedy which threatens to destroy their entire marriage, and must learn to move past it together. Companion piece to Tales of Republic City by DJNS. Based on her headcanon of Katara's miscarriage post-Tenzin.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, gentle readers! I be back! So, this is a headcanon that I have absolutely loved ever since reading Tales of Republic City by DJNS. The idea of Katara having a miscarriage and that explaining why Aang and Katara never had more children after Tenzin was always so interesting and logical to me. We know from DJNS that in her headcanon the time following this was extremely rocky in their marriage, and I've always wanted to see that 4-month period explored more in-depth – how they fell apart post-losing the baby, and how they put themselves back together again in the months that followed. D touches on it vaguely, but we don't get much detail. So…that's what I'm doing in this fic. DJNS has been kind enough to totally encourage me taking her idea and running with it, which I am incredibly grateful for. I will do my best to do it justice! I'll give a fair warning and say that this does get rather Kataangsty but as we all know, it works out in the end and there will be plenty of fluff and even smut as a reward for reading. Also, I do not have experience at all with miscarriages and marital problems that can result from them, so I did my best based on what I could surmise. Hopefully it will resonate with you as realistic nonetheless. **

**In terms of updates – I will do my best to update at least once a week, hopefully more, but I should put in the disclaimer here that I am moving across the country (from New York City to Washington State) in… ::checks calendar:: …exactly 28 days. I am hoping to have this finished by the time I leave but I can't make any promises. I WILL finish it, have no fear, but my schedule is going to get VERY hectic in the next month and I might need to make it a more "into the summer" project. In any case, keep checking in, and as always, thanks for reading!**

**Without further ado…**

**Chapter 1 – **_**Five Weeks After**_

Suki watched uneasily as Katara stirred her pot of stewed sea prunes, her hand turning the wooden spoon idly around the casserole but her eyes, normally so blue and bright but not at all the case at the moment, not even remotely fixated on the task at hand. Instead, they were staring off into space blankly at something nonexistent in front of her, a sort of dead, haunted, hollow look lurking in their depths. Her sister-in-law gazed down at the chopped vegetables she was preparing for the salad, and chose her words very carefully before she spoke.

"You seem to be having a rough time of it lately, Katara."

Katara jumped slightly, and turned towards Suki, still stirring the pot. Her expression was oddly blank, something the other woman was not accustomed to in the slightest. It was incredibly unnerving.

"I'm fine."

_I'm fine. It's fine. Everything's fine._

It was the same old song, day after day, night after night, morning after morning. By now Suki had come to realize that "I'm fine," was actually code for, "I'm about ready to fall apart at the seams."

Suki weighed her response to that with incredible prudence, and when she spoke again, her words were gentle yet firm.

"You don't seem 'fine,' Katara."

Silence. Katara blinked at her, and without responding, turned away to ladle some broth into the taller pot holding the parsnips.

Suki did everything she could to bite back the words springing forth from her lips, but in the end she lost the battle. She knew she was risking the other woman's wrath by even broaching the subject, but also knew that it needed to be broached.

"How are things with Aang?"

The effect was instantaneous. Katara immediately stiffened, the stirring ceased. Suki watched with trepidation, her violet eyes filled with worry. She braced herself for the onslaught. But it never came.

"I think I'm going to need more caraway root," Katara responded, placing down her ladle and reaching for her cloak and basket. "I should head to the market. You don't mind staying here and watching the kids until I get back, do you?" She deliberately avoided Suki's gaze as she headed out towards the back door.

Very aware of what she was trying to do, Suki stood up with her. "Katara, please. Don't do this. Don't run away. I'm your friend, your _sister_. Talk to me. Please. Talk to any of us. We love you. We love both of you."

There was the briefest pause, where Katara appeared to process the heartfelt plea. But ultimately, like everything else these days it seemed, she could not bring herself to try and make an effort to grant it.

"I'll be back in a half hour. Make sure the prunes don't overcook, could you?"

And she was gone. Suki watched her go miserably, letting out a sigh. It was only when her gaze drifted to the side, landing on the countertop where all the herbs and spices lived, that she noticed that there was an entirely full box of caraway root right next to the stove, perched next to the salt and pepper.

* * *

"How was she today?"

Suki shot her husband a look which clearly stated, "not good." Sokka sighed, putting down the file he'd been perusing from Council, his blue eyes filled with worry and dread.

"And Aang?"

"He wasn't home yet. I…" she hedged, afraid to voice the words aloud but unable to deny the truth. "I think he's getting more and more scared to come home every night, to be honest."

Sokka groaned, rubbing his temples. "Of course he is. Avoid and evade. Classic airbender to the core."

It was impossible to miss the bitter tone interweaved in his voice. Once again, Suki found herself weighing her reply carefully, before sitting down next to him and placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Sokka…I love Katara too. And I know that she's your sister and how protective you are of her. But the truth is…well…she's being…it's…" she trailed off guiltily, not wanting to voice the unpleasant, unspoken truth between them out loud. For some reason, it would feel like a betrayal.

Sokka huffed out a sigh of frustration. "I know. She's giving him a good reason. It's so strange. On the one hand, I resent him for it, but on the other hand I don't blame him at all. If I were constantly getting snapped at and yelled at and shut out, I wouldn't want to come home at the end of the day, either."

Suki kissed his temple comfortingly, her eyes dropping down to her lap. "I'm scared for them, Sokka."

Her husband had to clear his throat several times before he could answer her. "I know. I am, too. I just…_never_, Suki. I never thought in ten million years I'd ever see these two like this. They were always the one thing I could count on to remain stable, you know? It's like a law of nature. The earth goes around the sun, what goes up has to come down, and Katara and Aang will adore each other until the end of time. That's just what it was. And now…"

"Don't say that," Suki interrupted quickly, squeezing his hand. "Sweetie, please, don't say that. Don't even think it. They love each other. I don't doubt that for one second. They still love each other more than anything, and that's exactly why this is so awful and so painful. Love is not the problem."

"Then what is?"

"Lack of communication," Suki clarified. "Guilt. Shame. Regret. Fear. There are a lot of problems here. I'll grant you that. But lack of love is _absolutely_ _not_ one of them."

Sokka nodded, squeezing her hand back. "I know. But what if love isn't enough anymore?"

He lifted his eyes to hers, and was disheartened to see that she didn't know the answer to that any more than he did.

* * *

He looked at her from across the bedroom, dressed in a long, white, floor-length strapless dress with blue trim, leaning into the vanity to loop in an earring, and couldn't help but feel an overwhelmingly intense surge of emotion – a pang of love so strong he thought he'd faint with its force, mixed with an aching longing that pierced his chest acutely. He wanted nothing more than to touch her, press his face into her styled hair and inhale the scent of her shampoo, kiss the hollow of her warm neck and the curve of her bare shoulder, wrap his arms protectively around her middle and hear her giggle in response as she snuggled against him – but he knew that none of those things, now only a sweet memory, would happen even if he tried. So, he remained rooted to his spot on the other side of the room with the bed between them, and tried to focus on smoothing out his ceremonial robe. Still, his gaze still insisted on drifting back to her, drinking in her beauty. His throat ached and he was suddenly overcome with a strong urge to cry, but he blinked back his tears.

She met his gaze in the vanity mirror, over her shoulder, and granted him a small smile. Aang felt his heart give a small leap for joy – she hadn't smiled at him in so long. Most people would have probably said that it had been so long they'd forgotten what it looked like, but he could never forget Katara's smile and how it lit up her whole face, making her even more beautiful than she normally was – if that were even possible.

"You look beautiful, Katara," he whispered reverently. He hadn't meant to. The words were there and he simply couldn't stop himself – he didn't _want_ to stop himself.

Immediately after, however, he tensed, wondering if he'd made a mistake. His compliments hadn't succeeded in doing much lately other than aggravating her. He held his breath, awaiting the inevitable snippy retort, or, worse yet – far worse – silence. No acknowledgement at all. Continuation of the cold war that raged between them all day and night, every day for the last month and a half. Since the loss.

But it seemed tonight there would be a truce. She turned to look at him, and her eyes were shining with what he could've sworn was love and tenderness, but he was too afraid to hope anymore. Experience had taught him not to get his hopes up when it seemed Katara was having a "good" day – because, irrevocably, her disposition would change just as quickly as it had come to begin with and he'd be back to stony silence and cold distance.

"Thank you, Aang. So do you."

She had never meant anything so sincerely, but she knew he was afraid to believe her. And despite not being able to blame him, Katara couldn't help but feel hurt.

* * *

"Would you care for some more champagne, Master Katara?"

Katara nodded, accepting the flute with murmured thanks before turning to look out over the crowded atrium of Republic City Hall. The city's highest-ranking officials murmured and mingled together, laughing over flutes of bubbling champagne, complimenting each other's outfits and no doubt talking shop. Her eyes skimmed the room for her husband and found him in the corner in conversation with one of the Earth Kingdom representatives. While he to all appearances seemed to be listening intently to the man's words and lavish gesticulations, Katara knew better, and there was no escaping the distant, sad look in his beautiful gray eyes, masked with feigned interest. She felt a piercing stab of guilt.

She had put that there.

Suddenly feeling hot and suffocated, she turned and stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. Still cradling her champagne flute, she gazed down with empty eyes into the garden below. The first bloom had just begun, and colorful hydrangeas and tulips and daffodils dotted the pathways and the many spots under the willow trees. It was a lovely sight, one that surely should have inspired some modicum of contentment or emotion in some way.

But she felt nothing.

She swallowed hard, turning back around to gaze through the open glass doors to the atrium. Laughter, chatting, smiling, frowning…the whole gamut of human emotion was laid bare before her, but she found, with mounting alarm at the realization, that she could not partake. She could not find any interest deep within her in the affairs of Republic City, the hub that she herself had played such a large part in founding. She could not bring herself to care about the minister's children who were reaching Bumi's age, nor about the growing economy of the newly strengthened Earth Kingdom Colonies that would surely soon be separate entities from the Fire Nation altogether, nor about any of the lives of the many friends – personal and professional – that were present in that room. The only feeling she could identify was lack of feeling all together. Apathy. Indifference.

Her eyes found Aang again, who was now engaged in a quiet conversation with Anil. She waited to feel something – anything – upon seeking out her husband's handsome features and gentle smile, that all-too-familiar feeling of warmth and happiness and safety and the funny feeling in her tummy he always managed to leave her with. But, to her absolute horror, it never came. As she watched him quietly bid Anil goodbye and head over to join Sokka and Suki on the other side of the room, she found that not even Aang was able to stir up the slightest bit of sentiment within her.

Her heartbeat accelerating, she thought back to her children at home, tucked safe in their beds, and it seemed as though an empty void opened up within her, cracking apart and sucking her in entirely like a black hole, into complete non-existence. Not even her babies could incite even the smallest, fleeting feeling of anything – love, desire to protect, joy, everything she had always been accustomed to feeling in their presence. And in that moment, it was as if her worst nightmare had been realized. Her ability to feel anything was gone. Passion, love, comfort, fear, anger, all of it.

It had died along with the baby.

Her knees seemed to buckle then, and she sank down on the bench at the edge of the balcony, sucking in gulps of air through lungs that felt far too constricted. And while she wanted nothing more in the world than to cry, she found she could not do that, either.

* * *

"Do…do you need help with that?"

Aang's voice was tentative, hedging. She glanced up at him, once again meeting his eyes over her shoulder in the mirror, and there was no mistaking the fear in his voice. She swallowed hard, her fingers clumsily seeking out the laces that zigzagged down the back of her dress, and found herself nodding.

"Thank you."

Aang gingerly stepped up behind her, his warm, large hands, so gentle yet so strong, carefully unlacing the bodice. The warmth of her skin emanated from her, the scent of her hair and her perfume bathing him with memories of what it felt like to taste her skin, touch its softness, feel her hair against his cheek. A lump formed in his throat that he forced himself to swallow back down as he worked gently to free her from her gown.

Katara closed her eyes, lost for a moment in his touch, and in that one, brief moment, she remembered the same thing. The feel of his lips against her neck and shoulder, his softly whispered words of adoration in her ear, his scent surrounding her, his large hands smoothing over her belly and up to cup her breasts, her hips, reaching down between her legs…

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that he had untied the laces, and was now staring at her in the mirror once again. The look of pain and longing on his face was like a physical ache to her heart. She swallowed hard and whispered his name, so softly she feared he might not have heard.

"Aang."

With a shaking hand, clearly afraid of rebuke but unable to stop himself, Aang reached up and gently skimmed his calloused fingers over her bare shoulder. Katara stiffened at his touch, her breath hitched in anticipation of what he'd do next. Aang watched her intently, and when she didn't shove him away as she normally would these days, the need became too great and he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the base of her neck.

Katara felt her eyes sink closed as he nibbled his way down her neck and across her bare shoulder, pressing his body closer to hers, enveloping her in his warmth. Despite herself, Katara arched her neck in a gesture of unconscious invitation, a tiny moan escaping her lips when he hit the particularly sensitive spot below her ear. His hands gently caressed her shoulders and collarbone, before he straightened to press his lips into her styled hair. Small tendrils of it had come loose from her elaborate bun, and he pressed his face into the softness, inhaling deeply.

"I love you, Katara."

Her eyes shot open, and she looked at their reflection, seeing him so blissfully buried into her. Her stomach lurched. Suddenly, without warning, it was back – the wave of apathy and resentment, ice-cold and nonsensical and unforgiving, her intense desire to shove him away battling with her equally intense desire to hold him close, pepper his face with kisses and never let him go.

At her silence, his eyes fluttered open, meeting hers in the reflection. Instantly, uncertainty and doubt bloomed across his features. He swallowed hard and whispered again.

"I love you, Katara."

The tone was different this time, a mixture of hope and desperation and fear. In that moment, she knew how badly he needed her to say it back. But despite her best efforts to force the words out, they just couldn't seem to release their claw-like grip on her lips.

_I love you too, Aang._

_I miss you so much._

_I'm so sorry for everything._

_I've been so awful._

_Please forgive me._

_I need you._

_I can't live without you. I don't want to._

The hurt in his gray eyes darkened, and she could see the tell-tale glossy sheen filling them with lightening speed. He looked as though someone had just stabbed him in the stomach. When he spoke again, his words were garbled with tears.

"Do…do you love me, Katara?"

The question was as painful as a physical blow.

The guilt and shame that had been rising up within her like steam in a pressure cooker popped, and before she knew what she was doing, she whirled around to face him, her own eyes filling with tears and her countenance at nigh hysterical levels.

"_How could you ask me that?!"_ Her voice was shrill, hoarse and cracking with self-loathing. Aang flinched, stepping back from her slightly. When he responded, he could barely choke the words out.

"Is it really so hard for you to say it back?"

"That question was _completely_ unfair and you _know_ it!" She knew she was deflecting, knew she was avoiding, knew she was in the wrong, but, as per the pattern she'd been following for weeks now, she kept digging herself deeper and deeper.

The tears fell over his impossibly long lashes now. He made no effort to hide it. Despite it, she could see that anger was coming to his defense; and he had every intention of calling her on her avoidance.

"It's not the slightest bit unfair when you consider the way you've been treating me! You've done nothing but push me away for weeks! That is _not_ love! I never know what to think around you anymore, so yes, Katara, I need to ask! This right here? That was the first time you've let me touch you in over a month! Ever since the baby!"

Katara instantly snapped erect, as though she had been slapped. His complete fearlessness to shove the elephant in the room, the one she had been so desperately trying to avoid, right in her face nearly took her breath away. "That's not true!"

The second the words were out, she knew he would shoot them down instantly. Rightfully so.

He did not disappoint. He gaped, stunned by her outright lie. "It is true! You _know_ it's true! You barely even look at me, let alone speak to me! You won't let me touch you or kiss you or hold you, you snap at everything I say and do, and no matter what I do it's always wrong! It's like you can hardly stand to be under the same roof together! I don't understand! You won't tell me anything you're feeling since the miscarriage or what I've done to deserve this! You want to know what's 'unfair?' _That's _what's unfair!"

Her tears finally spilled over as well, her fists clenched at her sides. "Oh, well, I'm so sorry that it's been so difficult for you to deal with me! Please, forgive me, oh mighty Avatar!"

"Don't you dare!" he snarled, startling her with his ferocity. "You're not going to do that, Katara! You're not going to turn this around on me and make it out to be as though I'm the bad guy! Stop avoiding everything I say! Why won't you answer the question? Why won't you tell me what you're feeling?" he gripped her desperately by her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Why won't you let me help you? What did I do? I can't fix it if you won't tell me!"

"You wouldn't understand!" she sobbed, her voice breaking.

"How do you know if you won't let me try?" he shot back, sobbing as well.

"You _can't_ fix it Aang!" her words were now almost incomprehensible, drowned in tears. "No one can! No one can fix it! It's gone! It's all gone, and _I can't get it back!_"

He didn't need her to clarify what "it" meant. He knew. The baby. The future they'd hoped for with it. Her life as she knew it. Her passion, her emotion, her strong-willed nature, the fire within her that had captivated him so intently to begin with. He watched as she buried her face in her hands, crying so hard it looked as though she were being ripped in two. Instantly, the fight drained out of him and his heart broke on her behalf. He reached for her, praying to the spirits that she would not push him away. Thankfully, she didn't.

"Please, Katara," he wept hoarsely against her temple, holding her shaking body as tightly as he could. "Please, please talk to me. Tell me what you're feeling. Let me comfort you. Let me grieve with you. Let me in. _Please_."

His anguished plea was her undoing, and she looked up at him, her bright, blue eyes wet with sorrow. She tried to form words, but nothing came at first, her mouth moving soundlessly. Then, finally, she managed to tear them from her throat.

"I feel nothing," she confessed brokenly. "Nothing, Aang. I don't feel anything. About anything."

He looked at her, blankly at first, then his tear-stained face clouded over with dread. Despite his obvious terror, he asked the question anyway.

"Including for me?"

There was a horrible, awful, billowing silence. Katara blinked at him, her wet blue eyes welling anew with unshed tears. She wanted nothing more than to reassure him, swear that she still adored him as much as the day she had married him, that she felt deeper for him than anything in her life, but once again, her words chose to betray her and stay buried within.

It was clear that he took her silence for her answer. His hands fell limply to his sides, and he swallowed hard, his throat bobbing spasmodically with his tears. In that moment, Aang was certain that nothing had ever hurt as much in his life, and that nothing would ever hurt as much again.

Suddenly, he felt as though he could not breathe here in this room, this room that had always been such a haven of love and comfort. He slowly stepped back from her, doing his best to ignore the wild panic darkening in her azure eyes.

_Please don't go, please don't leave me, stay, I love you, I love you so much, I don't mean any of it, I'll always love you, it's all my fault – _

"Oh," he whispered.

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked out.

If Katara cried or called after him, he didn't hear her. His blood pounded in his ears as he walked straight down into the foyer and then slipped out the back door, frantically placing one foot in front of the other until he arrived at the stables. When he unhinged the hook holding Appa's door closed and peered inside, he saw that the shaggy beast had lifted his massive head from his slumber, blinking at his master in concern. He let out a soft bellow of commiseration, as if sensing Aang's heartbreak, and Aang immediately approached him, burying his face into the soft white fur of his flank. Appa groaned again in comfort and Aang fell to his knees, sobbing into the bison's warmth until he was certain he was empty of tears.

* * *

"Gran-gran?"

Kanna was shaken from her worried reverie by Bumi's timid voice, trembling with anxiety, and immediately felt her stomach lurch. She had overheard every word of her grand-daughter and grandson-in-law's exchange from the threshold of her bedroom door, but she had hoped against hope that the children hadn't been exposed. Now, it seemed, that hope was futile. She turned to see the little boy looking at her fearfully, clutching his teddy bear and his hair rumpled from sleep.

"Sweetie, it's late. You shouldn't be out of bed." She knelt down to smooth his wild, unruly locks with her weathered hand. Bumi swallowed hard, his lower lip trembling.

"I heard yelling. Mommy and Daddy. They were yelling."

For a split second, Kanna considered conjuring up a lie the little boy was likely to believe – that it had been a bad dream, that he had misunderstood. Ultimately, however, she knew that wasn't right or fair. She sighed.

"I know, sweetie. I heard it, too."

"Why were they yelling?" Bumi asked in a small voice, glancing anxiously towards the direction of his mother and father's room. "Mommy and Daddy love each other. They don't yell at each other."

Kanna pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Sweetie…sometimes, Mommies and Daddies fight. I know it can be scary. I'm so sorry if you were scared. But all Mommies and Daddies fight sometimes. It's normal." While she knew the words she spoke were truthful, she couldn't help but feel that nothing about that particular fight had been "normal." _Especially_ for Aang and Katara.

Bumi seemed to digest this, glancing again towards his parents' room. "Will they stay mad at each other?"

"No," Kanna said instantly, and although she knew she was mostly saying it to comfort Bumi, she knew she was also trying to reassure herself. "No, Bumi. They'll make up. I promise you, they'll make up."

She wasn't lying – she knew how deep the love between her granddaughter and her husband was, and she knew, deep in her heart, that they would find a way to work through this horrific rough patch they'd found themselves in. She just hoped, for everyone's sake, that it was sooner rather than later – and knew that, as awful as it was, there was nothing she could do to help them fix it.

"Can I sleep with you?" Bumi asked timidly. Kanna smiled warmly.

"Of course you can, little man. Come on," she whispered, leading him back into her bedroom.

* * *

"Where's Mom?"

Kya glanced up at her father from her bowl of rice cake batter while Kanna and Bumi set the table for breakfast. Aang's head pounded from having cried so much the night before, his eyes bloodshot and tired and underlined with dark bags. Nonetheless, Aang tried to keep his voice light as he caressed the girl's hair.

"Mom's not feeling well today, Kya. She's resting. We can bring her some breakfast later."

Kya's brow furrowed in worry. "Again? But she was just sick a few weeks ago!"

"I know. But she needs to rest today. Don't worry, sweetheart. She'll feel better soon." He tried to keep his voice confident, but couldn't help but feel like he was downright lying to his child. Still, Kya seemed to accept that as they all sat down to eat.

An hour later, she crept up to the door of her mother and father's bedroom with a tray of food, and gently knocked on it. When there was no answer, Kya peeked her head in. Katara lay on the bed with her back to her daughter, completely still except for the rise and fall of her shoulder with each breath she took. She seemed to be awake.

"Mom?"

No answer.

"I brought you some breakfast, Mommy."

Still no answer. A sinking feeling permeated the girl's stomach as she crept into the room, waiting for her mother to turn to look at her, or at the very least acknowledge her presence with some verbal confirmation. But nothing came. Kya hovered awkwardly with the tray, before setting it on the night stand next to the bed.

"I'll just…leave it here. In case you get hungry."

She knew better at this point than to expect a response, so turned and headed back the way she came, feeling unsettled and rejected. Before she closed the door behind her, she turned back towards her mother a final time.

"I love you, Mom."

Katara didn't so much as move.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow. I can't tell you how wonderful all of your reviews have been, and how humbling it is to see how quickly word about this has gotten out in the fandom. I am verklempt! Thank you so much. And…hang in there, guys. I know that the first chapter was crazy depressing, but without giving too much away, that was more or less the worst of it, at least in my humble opinion. Courage!**

**Also, a few of you have asked how long this will be. I have the entire story outlined and as of now it stands at 12 chapters. So it will most likely stay at that, give or take a chapter or two if anything changes (but that's not likely). So there you have it.**

**Chapter Two – **_**3 Weeks Earlier (2 Weeks After)**_

Aang woke up with a drowsy grunt, tucked beneath the soft sheets of their bed, and immediately rolled over to hook his arm around Katara and snuggle into her, spooning against her back. But instead of his arm landing on her waist as usual, it found nothing but empty space. The mattress was cold, so wherever she was, she had been out of bed for a bit.

His first thought was that Tenzin had woken in need of a feeding. He propped himself up on his elbow, rubbing sleep from his eyes before squinting through the darkness to the tiny crib in the corner of the room. His brow furrowed when he saw Tenzin's small form lying in the cradle, on his back, swaddled in his blanket and breathing deeply and steadily. He glanced around, but Katara was nowhere to be found.

"Katara?" he called, his voice slightly hoarse from slumber. When he received no response, he swung his long legs out of bed and twisted his lean body into a bone-cracking stretch before standing to seek her out. He was just about ready to open the door and head out into the hallway when he heard it.

Sobs.

His heart immediately sank down into his stomach, and he turned and headed straight to the bathroom off of their bedroom, where the cries were coming from. With every step he took, his heart beat just a little bit faster, scared of what he knew he would find there. He knocked on the door gently, swallowing roughly before he spoke.

"Sweetie?"

The cries continued. When he received no answer to his inquiry, he gently turned the knob and opened the door, peering his head in. What he saw nearly knocked the wind out of him.

Katara was huddled in the shower, dressed only in her simple cotton nightgown, her knees drawn up to her chest and convulsing with sobs into her lap. Aang watched her, his throat aching with misery on her behalf. He didn't need to ask her what was wrong. He already knew. In his mind's eye, he was immediately transported back to a little over two weeks prior, where Katara had been in this exact same position in this exact same shower, rivulets of blood cascading down her thighs as the remnants of their dead child were washed away.

He carefully approached her and stepped into the shower, kneeling before her to reach out and gently touch her hands, pressed into her kneecaps. Katara averted her gaze even more in shame. In a desperate plea to connect with her, he whispered her name.

"Katara?"

She continued to sob, her face hidden.

"Katara, sweetie…look at me. Please?" His tone was soft, cajoling. He reached out to touch her cheek and gently direct her gaze up to meet his. Her wet, beautiful blue eyes were filled with such anguish he almost felt the impulse to look away himself, but he forced himself to retain eye contact with her. He gently stroked his thumb over her cheek.

"It wasn't your fault."

She choked out another sob, shaking her head at that statement, trying to look away again, but he held her fast.

"It wasn't your fault, baby. You didn't do anything wrong," he whispered, stroking her hair, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away her tears. Katara tried to speak, but couldn't. She sniffled, loudly, and tried again.

"I failed you." Her words, warbled and distorted, were barely audible. Aang vehemently shook his head.

"No. _Never_."

"I'm so sorry, Aang."

"Please don't apologize. There's nothing to forgive." He cradled her face in his hands, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "_Nothing_," he repeated into her hair.

"I shouldn't have ever thought that maybe it would be better to not have it. I didn't want it enough and it could sense it, and…it knew I didn't…it was the wrong time, and –"

"Shhhhh," Aang soothed, pulling her against him, pressing kisses into her hair as she wept. He rubbed her back, cradling him to her, feeling tears beginning to sting the backs of his own eyes.

"You didn't wish this, Katara," he whispered gruffly. "You didn't. It just happened. It's not your fault," he repeated, praying fervently that somehow, the words would penetrate and sink in.

But he could tell by the haunted look in her eyes that they hadn't.

* * *

Aang softly cooed to Tenzin as he scooped him up from his cradle, soothing the infant's fussy squirms by pressing soft kisses against his downy head. After a few more moments of fussing, the baby snuggled into his father's body contentedly, his head lolling on his shoulder as Aang walked out of the bedroom and down towards the kitchen for breakfast. Kya, Bumi and Kanna were already there, dishing out fruit and rice and soup and bread onto plates and excitedly discussing plans for the day. Kya, who had been enthusiastically regaling Kanna with stories about a school project she was working on (which no doubt, Aang mused wryly, involved furry creatures of some sort) looked up and grinned widely as her father and younger brother entered through the threshold.

"Good morning, daddy!" she chirped. One of her front teeth was missing, rendering her even cuter than she already was. Aang smiled back and stooped to press a kiss to her hair.

"Hey, sweetheart. Hey, buddy," he greeted Bumi, dropping a kiss to the top of his head as well before turning up his face to examine his sticky cheeks and mouth. "Someone got a little excited with the jam today," he remarked laughingly, reaching for a napkin to wipe his eldest son's gamin face. Kanna chuckled.

"We've decided that we like strawberry best now." Aang's eyebrows rose.

"I thought strawberry was, as I recall, 'icky,' and he would only touch it if it was blueberry?"

"That was last week," Kanna corrected dryly. "Try to keep up. Now we'll only eat strawberry."

"It's really good, daddy!" Bumi exclaimed, thrusting out a piece of toast that had far, far too much jelly spooned onto it, to the point where it was starting to soak through to the other side of the bread. "Want some?"

Aang smiled indulgently at the little boy's enthusiasm, ruffling his head. "Thanks, buddy, but I think I'll stick with my fruit and rice."

Bumi shrugged carelessly before taking another big bite. "S'ok," he mumbled around a full mouthful. "Ms'mor forme!"

Aang chuckled as the older woman sat down with her bowl of porridge before scooping some eggs into the children's plates. He glanced around before turning a questioning look towards his grandmother-in-law. "Where's Katara?"

There was a slight hesitation on Kanna's part before she responded. "She's outside." She cocked her head towards the paper screen sliding door separating the kitchen and dining area from the back porch overlooking the garden and the accompanying pond. Tenzin started to squirm again in his hold, obviously hungry. He turned back to Kanna with a worried frown.

"Is she okay?"

Kanna took a careful swallow of her porridge before glancing up at him. "She seems a little down."

Instantly replaying the conversation on the bathroom floor from the night before in his head, Aang sighed despondently before hoisting Tenzin more securely onto his hip and sliding the door to the patio open to slip through. Kya and Bumi had already fallen into their typical mid-breakfast sparring match with Kanna interjecting to settle them down by the time he slid it closed behind him.

Katara sat in the bamboo rocking chair at the edge of the porch by the rail, rocking back and forth in a lazy rhythm as she gazed out over the gardens and the water of Yue Bay. The morning was quiet and warm, a gentle breeze blowing her loosened hair slightly over her shoulders. He came up behind her, peering over at her face, which looked incredibly passive and blank.

It was unsettling, and so he decided to break the silence. "Sweetie?"

Katara didn't acknowledge him, continuing her vigil of staring out into the yard. A tight feeling clamped up in Aang's belly, and he whispered her name.

"Katara? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Again, no answer. Alarm started to sink in, growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. This wasn't normal. Katara _never_ ignored him. The tight feeling in his stomach expanded into his chest as he replayed every interaction he'd had with her in the past 24 hours, wondering if he had said or done something wrong.

"Why aren't you answering me?"

In a movement so slight he would have missed it had he blinked, she glanced over her shoulder. While the gesture served to, at the very least, prove that she had acknowledged his presence, it did nothing to soothe his growing unease.

"Katara, answer me. Please. Tell me what's wrong. Are you still upset about last night? Did I say something to hurt you? Talk to me." His voice started to tremble as he pleaded for a response, but none came. Finally, his anxiety bubbled over.

"_Katara!_"

His desperate tone jolted Tenzin from his comfortable spot in his father's arms, and he began to squirm and fuss again, whimpering for his mother and, surely, the milk she gave. And finally, at the baby's strident cries, Katara reacted. She stood, narrowing Aang with a steely blue stare full of something he couldn't quite identify, but it was anything but friendly or warm.

"For Heaven's sake Aang, there's no need to get dramatic about it," she snapped, stepping forward and taking Tenzin from his arms. "Look, you've got him all upset now. Do you think you can go back inside and hold down the fort with Kya and Bumi for 5 minutes while I feed him, or would that be too difficult for you?"

Her snide sarcasm might as well have been a slap in the face. In the nearly 20 years he had known Katara, he could not recall a single time that she had ever taken such a tone with him – the closest she'd ever come was her minor meltdown at the waterfall during their first waterbending lesson, but even that was more an explosion of ego than an icy, sneering dig. Completely stunned beyond words, he stared at her incredulously, almost as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

By the time he was able to find words, it was too late. She had already retreated back into the house with Tenzin without sparing him so much as a backwards glance.

* * *

When Aang returned home that evening, his children came bounding at the door to greet him as they normally did. He leaned down to scoop up each one in turn and pepper their faces with kisses, swinging them around in the foyer before setting them back down and inquiring as to their mother's whereabouts. Kya cheerfully informed him that his wife was in the kitchen as usual, preparing dinner, and that she and Bumi were "helping" (which, at least in Bumi's case, meant sitting on the table watching and asking multiple questions about what his mother and older sister were doing, and how they were doing it).

Aang glanced up towards the kitchen, a small crease of worry forming between his eyebrows. Ever since Katara's uncharacteristic burst of hostility that morning, he hadn't been able to concentrate on anything – especially not work-related matters. He had spent practically the entire day in a fog, trying to figure out why she had been so short-tempered with him and what he could have done to cause such an intense reaction to begin with, but no matter how deeply he dug, he couldn't come up with a single answer.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He knew what the answer was – the miscarriage. She hadn't been herself at all, understandably so, since the night they lost their child two weeks prior, but this was the first time that that had ever included downright aggression towards him personally. He was at a loss. He knew Katara was hurting – truthfully, so was he, still. But ever since they were children, he and Katara had always hurt _together_. Conflicts and tragedies had always brought the two closer together, not forced a wedge between them. And while they had both done their best the past few weeks to recover from the loss and keep moving forward for the sake of their family, for however long she was still hurting deeply, he knew she would turn to him for comfort and solace and to talk through it just as she always had. Consequently, her attitude that morning had made absolutely zero sense.

He had managed to coax Katara back to bed with him the night before and had held her close, soothing her while she fell back into a restless sleep with her face tucked into his chest, but while it had seemed at the time that the storm had passed, it appeared that he'd been mistaken.

Deciding that it was best to confront the issue, despite his natural tendency towards the exact opposite, he hovered at the threshold of the kitchen entrance and watched while she bustled around the kitchen. Despite his unease, he couldn't help but smile at her concentration.

"Hi, Sweetie." He kept his voice light, airy, and free of censure.

Katara turned to look at him, a huge smile blooming across her pink lips. It was as if her whole face lit up upon seeing him. Immediately, the tension drained from his body, and for one brief, beautiful moment, it was as if she were her old self again.

"Hi, Sweetie!" she parroted back, putting down her spoon and immediately crossing the room to frame his face in her hands and kiss him. When they parted, he couldn't stop the audible wheeze of relief from leaking from his lungs. He grinned back at her.

"You seem to be feeling better," he commented appreciatively, pressing another kiss to her lips. Katara blushed slightly, looking up at him with remorseful eyes.

"Much better. Listen, Aang…I'm so sorry about this morning. I don't know what came over me. I guess I just…well, it doesn't matter," she ended abruptly, kissing him yet again. "I'm just glad you're home. I missed you today."

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I missed you too, Sweetie."

While the words were true, he still felt unsettled. While Katara certainly seemed to be in a better place than she was the previous evening and that morning, and had even apologized, he still couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off with her. He knew that it was undoubtedly tied to the miscarriage – after all, it had only been two weeks since they'd lost the baby, and quite truthfully, in that time, Katara had been downright unwilling to discuss it hardly at all. Trying to get her to open up about the subject was nigh impossible – anytime he dared touch upon it, even the tiniest little bit, she would snap shut like an oyster-clam. Watching his usually confident, self-possessed wife literally retreat within herself and shut down entirely was a deeply disturbing experience, and she had been doing it more and more as of late especially where her recent heartbreak was concerned.

Even though he knew that attempts to pry would most likely result in more of the same, he couldn't resist trying to use the opportunity of her sunny mood to try. He stroked his knuckles over her cheek, rocking back on his heels to gaze into her eyes. In the other room, he could hear Kya and Bumi playing with Tenzin, laughing with delight every time the baby would flop over onto his tummy and then on to his back again.

"You know, Katara…I know these past few weeks have been hard for you. They've been hard for me, too. Maybe…we could talk about it? We can always talk to each other. About anything. We always have."

The effect was immediate. One minute Katara was smiling up at him with a besotted grin, and the next the light in her eyes dimmed to a mere sputter. Aang instantly regretted saying anything at all as she gently shrugged out of his arms and turned back to the stove, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

"It's okay Aang," she responded, in what was now an entirely different voice – still light and upbeat, but artificially so. "I feel fine today. Let's just sit down and have a nice dinner together, okay?" She gazed back over her shoulder at him desperately, and he could read the unspoken plea in her blue eyes: _please, for the love of the spirits, don't push this._

Aang stared at her, hedging. In that moment, they seemed to be at an impasse. He was desperately uncomfortable with her request. She knew he was, but was making it anyway.

Finally, her husband sighed and nodded, granting her a small smile of acquiesce. "Sure. Anything you want, Katara."

She returned his smile, an odd mixture of relief and something else – was it guilt? – washing over her pretty features. Just then, Kya came into the kitchen carrying Tenzin, Bumi trailing at her heels.

"Mom, I think Tenzin needs to be changed," she remarked, wrinkling her nose for emphasis. Aang laughed, scooping down to pick up his son while Bumi climbed onto the little stool next to Katara to continue his interrogation of every single little thing their meal consisted of that evening. Katara, once again laughing and smiling, allowed the little boy to toss the herbs into the pot as she stirred, something the 5-year-old found thoroughly entertaining.

As Aang and Kya headed off to change Tenzin, he overheard his wife and Bumi laughing louder and louder with each passing moment. The sound was music to his ears, and he closed his eyes, losing himself in it and letting it wash the tension from his body the best he could manage.

* * *

He blew out the last candle next to their bed and climbed between the sheets, flopping onto his side. Katara lay with her back to him, having already extinguished the flame on her side of the bed, her loose, long dark hair spilling over her pillow. He grinned at the sight of the curling tendrils of her hair, her creamy skin, the loose strap of her cotton nightgown falling over her shoulder, the curve of her hip under the blankets, and snuggled up to spoon behind her, as they always did, every night.

However, no sooner had Aang's arm wound around her waist, he found his embrace being rebuffed. Katara shrugged him away with a grunt.

"Not tonight, Aang. I'm tired."

He froze, staring at the back of her head with a confused frown as a chill of recognition shot down his spine. There it was again. That short, snippy, indifferent tone, the exact same one from that morning on the patio. He swallowed hard, and when he spoke again his voice was uncertain, questioning.

"I…I just wanted to hold you, Katara."

She sighed in clear annoyance. "We don't have to fall asleep cuddling every single night, you know," she droned. She had yet to look at him.

The words were like a kick to the chest. For as long as he and Katara had shared a bed, falling asleep in each other's arms was just a given. On the rare occasion it didn't happen, it was simply because they had been so tired that they'd fallen asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow – the weeks following Kya and Bumi's births were perfect examples. But not once had it ever been like this – where his desire to be close to her was downright, coldly snubbed.

For a long moment, he just looked at the back of her head, the rigid line of her spine. Confusion and hurt was starting to give way to frustration. Finally, he was able to speak past the lump in his throat.

"Sweetie, are you angry with me?"

She didn't answer, and Aang knew she was pretending to be asleep. Cold dread spread from his belly through the rest of his body, followed by a very warm, hot sensation traveling down his extremities to the tips of his fingers and toes.

"Katara, if you're angry at me, tell me why."

She was silent for so long that for a moment, he almost started to believe that maybe she had, indeed, fallen asleep. But that was corrected when her voice, soft and meek and suffocated, traveled through the darkness.

"I don't know why, Aang."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – **_**Three Weeks After**_

"Aunt Toph! Uncle Sokka!"

Kya immediately dropped the water she'd been suspending in mid-air onto the ground of the courtyard with a resounding splash and ran merrily into her uncle's arms. Sokka bent to scoop up his niece, pressing a kiss to her face in greeting while Katara looked on in confusion, her lesson with her daughter abruptly and unceremoniously ended.

"Hey Squirt! Oof, you get heavier and heavier every time I see you!"

Kya giggled, hugging him tightly as Toph, cradling her newborn against her and looking massively sleep-deprived, greeted Katara. "Hey, Sweetness. Sorry to interrupt."

"No, not at all," Katara replied smoothly. "I just wasn't expecting you guys, that's all."

"I invited them last minute," a voice popped up as Aang appeared behind the two with a basket full of fresh fruit and vegetables from the market. "I figured it'd be nice to all have dinner together tonight."

Katara's eyebrows snapped together in a dubious frown just as Bumi came bounding around her legs, running towards Toph.

"Oh, oh, Aunt Toph, can I hold Lin? Can I? Can I?" He pulled on trousers impatiently, lifting up onto his toes to try and peer at the 3-week old, so tiny and fragile with lots and lots of jet black curls and piercing green eyes. Toph smiled tiredly.

"Sure, buddy. Let's get inside and once we sit down you can hold her in your lap for a bit." She seemed pretty excited at the idea of sitting down herself, as it was a rare commodity these days with a baby less than a month old. Still, she was grateful to get out and see her friends, even for just one night – maternity leave could get dreadfully boring, being confined to the house in many ways.

Bumi cheered enthusiastically at the verdict and he and Kya scampered ahead of Toph, heading into the house. Katara watched them go before turning back to Aang with a leveling look. Instantly, he felt his stomach dip. He could tell by her expression that whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be good.

"You could've given me a heads up, Aang." Her words were flat and brusque, her hands plunked onto her hips. Next to her husband, her brother raised his eyebrows in surprise at her tone. She didn't notice Toph turning around to glance towards her as well, equally taken aback.

Aang took a deep breath, clutching the basket of produce to him tighter in an effort to maintain patience. He met Katara's gaze evenly. "It was a last-minute thing, Sweetie. I…I thought it would make you happy. That's all."

He was being 100% sincere. Katara had been ridiculously volatile in her moods the past week, swinging back and forth between hot and cold, happy and sad, angry and content. He hadn't succeeded in getting her to open up at all about her sporadic, nonsensical anger towards him, but he knew that something was wrong. He had had her in mind when he'd invited his brother-in-law and their friend over for dinner after work that day. He'd hoped that being with her friends would cheer her up, but now it appeared that he'd hoped wrong.

"And it didn't occur to you that if we were having company for dinner, I would've at least liked some time to prepare?"

Sokka cocked his head at her. "Katara…we do stuff like this all the time. What's the matter? It's not a big deal." Beside him, he could practically feel Aang's gratitude at his coming to his defense.

Katara would not be swayed. "Actually, Sokka, it _is_ a big deal, because I didn't stop by the market today and I don't have enough for 7 people."

"Which is exactly why Aang stopped by the market on his way home to pick up more food," Sokka interjected smoothly. "Why are you picking a fight for no reason?"

Having had her argument thoroughly shot down, there was a moment where Katara felt an inexplicable surge of rage towards them both. Then, as quickly as it had come, it left. She looked at her husband, hurt and confusion in his gray eyes, and instantly felt gutted. There was no feeling on Earth worse than knowing she'd hurt him, but despite the fact that it was happening more and more these days, she couldn't seem to stop. She closed her own, took a deep breath, and forced a smile back on her face.

"…I'm sorry. It's just…I've had a long day, and I'm tired. That's all."

There was a tense, tentative silence, and Aang granted her a small smile in return. "It's okay, Sweetie. I'll even handle the cooking if you want. I had something specific in mind, anyway."

"Of course you would, Aang," she retorted in a lofty tone. "We all know that there's nothing you can't do, _if you really want to_."

The second the words were out, she regretted them immediately. She hadn't even made a conscious choice to say them; they just tumbled out of her mouth with seemingly no self-control, and with absolutely no idea where they had even come from. Despite the nonsensical nature of it, it was clear by the expression on Aang and Sokka's faces that the verbal dig was acutely felt. The snide, icy tone was shocking even to her own ears.

There was another long silence, before Sokka spoke again. "You know something…maybe this isn't the best time. We can do it another night. Why don't Toph and I –"

"Just forget about it," Katara snapped, snatching the basket from Aang's arms and turning towards the kitchen. "It's fine. I could use some help with the kids anyway, since I'm now cooking for 7."

With each horrible word spilling out of her mouth, Katara's panic grew. She knew she was being absolutely horrendous and unreasonable but despite all efforts to stop spewing unjustified vitriol, she couldn't seem to get a handle on herself. She felt powerless against her own words, unable to hold them back. That uncharacteristic, intense rage was back, cresting and pitching and swaying. She desperately tried to stamp it down, expel it from her body, but it stubbornly dug its heels in, refusing to be cowed. She rushed back into the house, trying to put as much distance between her and Aang as humanly possible to avoid any chance of seeing on his face what she knew would eviscerate her emotionally.

Toph and Sokka watched her go, and exchanged a shocked, worried glance. They both looked over at Aang, and Sokka could not recall ever seeing him look so defeated.

Toph broke the silence. "What on Earth was _that_ about?"

* * *

All things considered, dinner went rather smoothly, but that was mostly because Katara didn't speak hardly at all. While the others talked and laughed and exchanged stories of the day and the kids bickered and played, she sat in her seat closest to the kitchen, lost in a complete fog, barely registering anything that was going on around her as she stared off into space.

She had never been so scared in her entire life.

She had no idea what was happening to her. What was going on inside of her, or why she was acting the way she was remained a complete mystery to her, and no matter how much she turned it over and over in her mind, she could not find an answer. It was as if someone else entirely had temporarily invaded her body in recent weeks, ever since the loss of her unborn child; someone she did not like at all and someone who refused to listen when she tried to stamp her out.

One second, she felt fine, sometimes even happy. Then, the very next, she'd be overwhelmed with feelings of despair and rage so intense she thought she'd faint with the force of it. Then after that, she would look at her husband and feel the most intense surge of love imaginable for him, followed shortly after by inexplicable, overpowering, seething resentment.

Aang.

She closed her eyes, internally berating herself for her awful behavior towards him – not just earlier in the courtyard, but over the last few weeks in general. She could still hear his voice, bewildered and wounded, ringing in her ears: _Katara, are you angry at me? If you're angry at me, tell me why._

_I don't know why._

_I don't know._

It had been more than a week since he'd asked that simple question and she was no closer to finding an answer. But she saw the cautious uncertainty in his eyes now whenever he was around her, the guarded trepidation. For the first time in the history of their marriage and their friendship, he was afraid. Afraid of her. Afraid of what was going on inside her head and afraid of what that would mean for him, for both of them. She could feel him pulling away more and more with every passing day and her reaction was intensely dichotomous, just like everything else about her these days: she on the one hand could not blame him while simultaneously resenting him even more so for doing so.

She looked across the table at him, cutting Bumi's vegetables into smaller, bite-sized pieces, saw the dimming light in his eyes, wanted to take him in her arms and never let go, tell him over and over how much she loved him, how much she'd always loved him, would always love him. She wanted to tell him everything she was feeling, put words and a voice to the jumble of nonsensical emotion inside of her, let him grieve with her over their loss. She wanted to offer him an explanation as to why she was acting the way she was, why she was feeling so angry with him for no apparent reason, why she was feeling so angry with _herself_.

But there was no explanation to give, so she chose instead to gather up some of the empty plates and carry them into the kitchen for cleanup.

* * *

It was a good day.

Katara had learned over the past near-month that her days more often than not fell into one of two categories: "good" days and "bad" days. There were also, at an alarmingly fast growing rate, more and more "nothing" days – days where she felt nothing, good or bad. Ironically, those were the ones she dreaded the most. She actually preferred to be angry or bitter or sad than total apathy; at least when she felt sad, she had proof that she was actually still alive.

Today, however, was a "good" day. She'd woken up feeling content, even energetic, and had enjoyed breakfast with the kids and sending them off to school. She had savored Aang's kiss goodbye and even managed to not feel overly hurt by the cautious hope in his eyes, especially when he'd smiled at her in adoration before heading out the door.

Her good spirits continued as she hung up the laundry outside, the warm breeze of May gently blowing the sheets and skirts and shirts as she pinned them to the line. She hummed a soft tune to herself as she worked, so lost in her task that she didn't even hear Kanna come up behind her, holding Tenzin on her hip.

"Someone's hungry," she mused. Katara turned around and saw Tenzin cooing for her, a big, gummy smile on his lips. She laughed, reaching for her son.

"Well, luckily I can help with that," she cooed back, sifting her lips across the baby's downy head and soft cheek. "You hungry, sweetheart? You need some yummy milk?" She sauntered over to the small bench just off to the side, right under the shade of the cherry blossom tree, which was blooming vibrantly pink with new flowers. As she began to undo her tunic, Kanna came and sat down beside her.

"He's getting so big," she remarked as Tenzin attached to her breast and began to suck greedily. "Always hungry, it seems." Katara laughed.

"He's a growing boy," she murmured adoringly. "Can you believe he's almost 6 months old already?"

Kanna nodded in acknowledgment. "I know. It's incredible how fast time goes."

There was a lull in the conversation, and for a moment, Kanna just watched her granddaughter, her heart aching at the sight of her nursing her baby, her besotted expression. She looked so happy at that moment that she almost chickened out about broaching the subject she'd been planning on raising with her for a few days now – ever since the dinner the other night with Toph and Sokka. Ultimately, however, she knew it needed to be done. She took a deep breath, and made sure to keep her voice gentle and free of censure.

"Sweetheart…I've been meaning to ask. Is everything…okay? With you and Aang?"

Katara glanced up at her, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean, Gran-Gran?"

Kanna swallowed roughly. She knew she was treading dangerous waters here, and Katara seemed to be in such good spirits today she didn't want to ruin it. But at the same time, she knew that if she didn't do it now, while she was in a good mood, it would never get discussed.

"Katara, I'm not blind. And remember, I was married twice, one time for over 40 years. I know there's been tension between you two lately."

Instantly, Katara's expression became shuttered. She seemed to retreat back inside herself a bit, clutching Tenzin a bit more tightly to her breast in an unconscious gesture of self-protection. Shame seeped forward from every pore in her body, but she didn't bother to deny the charge. Sighing in empathy, Kanna reached forward and gently placed her hand on her knee.

"Sweetheart, I'm not criticizing you. I know how hard it's been since…since the baby. And you know that sometimes, women who have miscarriages…there are hormones. Very strong hormonal shifts that greatly affect their moods. It's biological. You can't control it. There's absolutely no reason to feel ashamed."

It was a long time before Katara could speak, and when she did, her tone was thick. "I…I know," she admitted gruffly. "I just…I can't explain it, Gran-Gran. One moment I just want to take him in my arms and hold him forever and then others I just feel so…I don't know…and…and I get so angry and I…I can't even look at him…"

"Katara," Kanna interjected softly, "all this? What you're saying to me now? You need to be saying that to _him_. He's confused, and he's scared, and all he wants is to be there for you and for you to be honest about how you're feeling." She reached out, turning her grand-daughter's watery stare towards her own. "You know what an incredibly lucky woman you are. That man…the way he loves you is…"

"I know," Katara whispered brokenly.

"And you love him the same way," Kanna finished. "You owe it to him to not shut him out. Let him grieve with you. Let him help you. That's all he wants. If you're angry about something, tell him. He can't make amends if you don't, and it's not fair to expect him to be able to."

Kanna wasn't telling Katara anything she didn't already know herself, anything she hadn't already told herself a thousand times over. But despite Kanna's insistence that she not feel ashamed, that she open up to Aang in the way she always had, she felt more ashamed than ever – and, for the first time ever, she understood the Airbender inclination to run. Run from the conflict, run from what was scaring her. She had no idea how to go to Aang and tell him what was wrong when _she herself_ didn't even know. She didn't know how to let him comfort her when she couldn't even put words to what it was she wanted to be comforted for – not just the miscarriage, but beyond that, all the baggage that was seemingly coming with it.

She was lost in her reverie just as Tenzin decided he was full, and began to paw at her breast with his soft hands. Katara shook herself free of her daze and re-buttoned her tunic, standing up from the bench and grabbing a fresh cloth from the clothes line.

"I need to burp him, Gran-Gran," she said suddenly, and it was obvious to both of them that it was an excuse to end the conversation. "Do you mind just hanging up that last bit in the basket over there?" She gestured with her head towards the straw basin holding the rest of the sheets, still wet from the washing and needing to be strung up.

Kanna gazed at her for a moment, her eyes filled with worry, and finally nodded her acquiesce. "Of course, Sweetheart."

Katara offered her a smile of thanks before turning and heading back into the house. Just as she got to the door, she heard Kanna's voice behind her.

"Just…think about what I've said, Katara? Please."

She paused for one moment, swallowing hard, then slid open the door and disappeared inside, leaving a disquieted Kanna in her wake.

* * *

When Aang cautiously stepped through the front door that evening, he steeled himself for the first interaction with his wife. Despite her sunny disposition that morning as he'd left for work, he knew better than to count on that still being the case by the time he got home. It was starting to get to the point where he never knew at any given moment which Katara he was going to get – and there were many to choose from these days.

So when he heard her laughter tinkling from the living room, he instantly wilted in relief. The kids' voices mixed with hers as he rounded the corner and glanced into the room, bursting into a large grin at what he saw.

Katara was seated on the rug with Kya and Bumi lying against her. Tenzin was just off to the side on his blanket, playing with his soft toys and cooing to himself adorably. Katara was reading one of Kya's favorite books out loud to them, making sure to include all the silly voices, which his two oldest children seemed to find hilarious. When they would explode into a new burst of laughter together, Katara's smile seemed to light up the whole room.

She had just taken to tickling Bumi, who was squealing and trying to writhe away from her but was laughing too hard to do so. She finally succeeded in pulling him into her lap, along with Kya, and pressing an enthusiastic kiss to each rumpled head. Just then, Kya noticed her father standing in the doorway.

"Daddy! You're home! Oh, thank the spirits, we can finally eat!" She bounded up out of her mother's lap and threw her arms around Aang's waist in a massive hug. Aang clutched her to him, pressing a kiss into the crown of her head just as Bumi finally managed to extricate himself from his mother's hold and go running to latch onto his leg.

"Mommy said you were going to be home for dinner tonight so we waited for you, Daddy," he chirped, angling a toothy grin up at him. Aang smiled back warmly and pressed a kiss to the boy's forehead.

"I can't wait, little man. What are we having?"

"That vegetable rice pasta thing Mom does really good," Kya inserted.

"Really well," Aang corrected gently.

"Yeah, that. I'm gonna go set the table!" She bolted off to the dining room, Bumi following hot on her heels.

"Kya, wait for me! You always get to set the table, I wanna do it tonight!"

Their bickering faded into the kitchen as he turned back to his wife, who had finally stood up and placed Tenzin into his crib for a short nap before crossing the room to take him into her arms. She enveloped him in a warm embrace, laying her cheek against his chest lovingly. Aang's eyebrows rose in delighted surprise, but despite his shock he returned her embrace with enthusiasm, pressing a kiss to her temple. Katara had had her moments of good moods even within the previous three weeks, but nothing even remotely close to this.

"You look happy," he whispered into her hair. Katara grinned.

"You're home. I _am_ happy," she whispered back, tilting her gaze up to him with a loving smile.

He was so encouraged by her pleasant demeanor that he couldn't resist dropping a kiss to her lips. "I'm glad," he murmured. "I love seeing you happy."

She grabbed both of his hands in hers, pulling him out into the hallway to lead him down to the dining room. "_You_ make me happy, Aang." She stopped, her gaze suddenly turning serious. "You know that, right?"

Truthfully, recently, there had been moments where Aang _didn't_ know anymore. He also knew, deep down, that despite her warmth at that particular second, it was probably a mistake to get his hopes up that it would last. But in that moment, looking at Katara, standing there with her eyes so full of love for him, he found that he couldn't stop himself. He felt hope blooming in his heart anyway.

"You make me happy too, Sweetie," he whispered, reaching up to cup her cheek. "More than anything in the world."

* * *

Aang rolled over onto his side, stirring his body into a long, languorous stretch, before gazing over expecting to find Katara sound asleep next to him. However, when only a cold mattress and empty pillow greeted him instead, he immediately bolted upright, his stomach clenching.

_Oh no. Please, no. Not again._

But he knew no amount of internal begging would change the reality he was absolutely certain to be the case. Tears of frustration burned in his eyes.

It didn't make any sense! She had been _fine_ when they'd gone to bed! She'd even snuggled up against him and fallen asleep with her head on his chest like she always used to do before. She had been so happy all day long! What could have possibly happened _in her sleep_? Had she dreamt about it?

He bolted from the bed and immediately crossed the room to where, sure enough, the bathroom door was closed. He could already hear her sobs, gut-wrenching and racking, on the other side, and he reached for the knob frantically.

It wouldn't open.

He froze, then tried again, this time with more force. The door remained closed. It was then that it hit him like a ton of bricks: the door wasn't just jammed. It had been locked.

She had locked it. She'd wanted to keep him out.

For a moment, for a few brief seconds, Aang literally could not breathe. He felt as though he'd had the wind kicked out of him. Hearing her sobs was bad enough; that she'd taken deliberate measures to shut him out was excruciating. He would've gladly have suffered a thousand lightening strikes at the hands of Azula compared to this.

"Katara," he croaked, his voice trembling. "Sweetie, open the door. Please. Please open the door."

No response. Just more sobs. He pounded on the thick wood, his voice taking on a frantic, desperate tone.

"Katara, you're scaring me! Please, open the door! Let me in!"

She still did not answer. His own tears began to fall now, of fear, of frustration, of hurt. He sank down onto his knees, now on the verge of a full-out panic attack.

"Sweetie," he whispered, brokenly. "_Please_." One word, so simple, yet holding so much, and all he could find within him to say.

The door remained shut.

* * *

"Daddy, are you staying home today?"

Aang and Kanna traded a meaningful glance over the top of Kya and Bumi's heads before Aang forced a smile down at his daughter, placing a bowl of oatmeal in front of her.

"I am, sweetie," he answered. "Mom…Mom isn't feeling well today and needs to stay in bed, and there's a lot of chores to do around the house. I'm going to stay home and help Gran-Gran."

Kya looked skeptical. "Mom's sick? She seemed fine yesterday."

"I know, honey. She got sick during the night." He felt a stab of guilt at his stretching of the truth, even though it wasn't a total lie. Bumi scrutinized him from across the table, holding his glass of orange juice in his small hands.

"Are you sick, Daddy? Your eyes are all red and puffed up."

Aang froze, feeling his stomach dip at the realization that he hadn't been very successful at all in hiding his shattered emotional state from his children. In hindsight, it wasn't very realistic of him to expect being able to do so. He knew he looked horrific. After spending another half hour weeping and begging for Katara to let him in to the bathroom, he'd finally given up and crawled back to bed. She didn't emerge from her solitary confinement until a full two hours later, which he knew because he was unable to sleep at all. It was obvious that she'd been waiting for him to fall back asleep to finally come out and come back to bed, in hopes of avoiding the inevitable confrontation. However, she hadn't needed to worry. Despite the fact he'd been wide awake, he remained turned away from her, his chest tight with rage, fury and despair. If she wanted to be alone, wanted him away from her, then that was _just fine_. That was _exactly_ what she would get.

They hadn't spoken for the remainder of the night, and when he'd finally gotten up to tend to the kids, she lay in a pathetic lump on her side of the bed, looking pale and stricken, almost like a ghost. Tenzin started to whimper for his morning feeding, and as Aang scooped him up from his crib, he turned to look at his wife. Or at least, the shadow of her that remained in their bed.

"Katara, Tenzin's hungry." He winced at how the words had come out – much rougher and angrier than he'd intended. She hadn't responded, and despite every effort to arrest his rage, he found that it augmented more and more with each passing second anyway.

"So that's how this is going to be, now? He needs you. You're going to just lie there and ignore him?"

Katara curled herself tighter into a ball, shaking her head, and she whispered something, but Aang could not hear her.

"And what about Kya and Bumi?" he pressed on. He knew he was only making it worse, knew he should stop, knew that he should give them both time to cool down and talk rationally later, but at that second he found he didn't care about being rational. "You're not going to come out and help me get them dressed and make them breakfast? You're not going to kiss them goodbye? Tell them you love them?"

She whispered again, and this time it was like something inside him snapped.

"I can't hear you, Katara." His retort was sharp and jarring, too harsh even to his own ears.

She knew what she should say. But, just like always, the words were there and they were _not_ budging.

_I'm so sorry._

_I don't know what's wrong with me._

_I hate myself for doing this to you._

"I said I'm sorry that I'm such a horrible burden," she snapped back, loudly this time.

"I don't want you to be sorry!" he threw back immediately. "I want my wife back!"

There was an absolutely horrific silence, and Aang's vision began to swim with tears. Tenzin's cries became more strident, and Aang closed his eyes, swallowing down the lump in his throat, then took a deep breath, composing himself.

"I'll give him a bottle," he murmured gruffly, before turning and leaving her there.

He remembered all this as he watched the kids scamper off to school with Kanna. She would be back soon to help with the washing and cleaning while he tended to the garden and the stables, but he suspected that she was well aware of what had happened and knew he needed some space. Desperately seeking solace, he retreated into the meditation dojo in hopes of calming his mind and finding even just a little bit of peace – perhaps even speaking to Roku about how lost he felt and what he should do. But no matter how long he sat there, trying to focus on his breathing and detach from the world around him, he found that misery – both his and Katara's – kept him tethered to the physical world. Almost as if the spirit world would not allow him access until his troubles in the earthly one were resolved.

Finally giving up, he loped back out of the dojo and headed back into the house. Without even consciously making the decision to do so, he found himself heading back down the hallway towards their bedroom. When he stepped inside, Katara still lay in a muddled heap under the blankets, almost entirely motionless. With a sigh of resignation, he sat down on the bed next to her, defeated, gazing down at his hands in his lap.

She started to cry, reaching over for his hand. And despite all of his hurt, all of his anger, he stretched out next to her to take her into his arms while she sobbed, for reasons he still did not know, and she refused to tell him.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone for sticking with this. I know that this is NOT filled with the happy, as one says, and it's really hitting a lot of nerves and is very difficult to read for some folks. I really appreciate you being willing to stick it out and I promise you, there is a light at the end of the (secret! Ha!) tunnel. To give you some context/incentive to hang in there, Chapter 8 is when things start turning around. **

**This chapter and the next are relatively shorter in comparison, which is why I was able to get this up so quickly. I'm aiming to get Chapter 5 up in the next few days. Thanks so much again for reading!**

**Chapter Four – **_**One Month After**_

Katara's eyes fluttered open, focusing immediately on the bamboo fan swirling lazily overhead, the air in the room thick with that deep, solid quiet of mid-night. Outside, she could hear the water lapping against the shores of Air Temple Island, the singing of crickets in the fields, but her bedroom remained dark and mute. Her chest rose and fell with each steady breath she drew in and out, gazing up at the ceiling in a daze. More and more, it seemed, emotions were absenting themselves from her existence. To be quite honest, she didn't feel much of anything at all.

Finally, she found the wherewithal to shift onto her side, in hopes that a different position would allow her to drop back into slumber. Her heart caught in her throat at the sight before her.

Aang lay beside her, his back to her, seemingly deep asleep. He was twisted in the sheets, his pale blue tattoo only partially concealed, and she remembered with a sudden pang the nights that used to be spent cuddled in each other's arms, her tucked into his chest as they wrapped themselves around each other after making love and falling into a restful slumber. But that had been long ago. Too long ago. Now, every night, especially since the awful confrontation a week prior, the routine remained unchanged: climb into bed, turn away from each other, and blow out the candles. No words spoken.

She swallowed hard, her eyes traveling down the arrow weaving down his spine, interrupted by the puckered, shiny edges of his scar. It had long since faded to a very light pink/almost white, but it still caused her to wince every time she saw it. Every instance, she was immediately transported back to the Crystal Catacombs in Ba Sing Se, watching in horror as Azula shot a bolt of white-hot lightening through his body, seeing him fall, singed and lifeless towards the Earth. She remembered catching his small body in her arms, gazing down at his pale face, head lolled back, mouth open, clothes burned, and feeling as though her entire reason for living was gone. She had thought she'd lost him, but the spirits had granted her her biggest wish, and had given him back to her.

_And now look,_ her inner voice hissed hatefully. _They give him back to you so you can do what? Break his heart? Treat him like dirt?_

She reached out gingerly, hoping not to wake him, and traced the blue line from the nape of his neck down his back, stopping to gently stroke the scar tissue right under his shoulder blades. Aang whimpered slightly in his sleep at her touch, but did not awaken. As she caressed it tenderly, she felt her throat close with emotion, with the memories of how close he'd come to losing him and everything they were together.

_And you could lose him still_, that voice hissed again. _You __**will**__ lose him – if you keep this up._

She closed her eyes against the tears burning behind them. They hadn't spoken much since their altercation a week prior, especially when it didn't concern the children, but after her meltdown in the bathroom and his consequential devastated reaction, she knew it was impossible to keep trying to deny the awful truth that she was unfairly angry with him. The problem was that she didn't know _why_. All she knew was that whenever she thought about the baby, about the way she had watched her blood and the leftover tissue swirl down the drain, how he had looked at her with such sorrow, she would look at her husband and bitterness would begin to seep in through her veins, like ink on wet paper. Somehow, her devastation over the miscarriage was linked to her feelings of resentment towards him, and those feelings were only multiplied every time he pulled away from her to protect his already bruised heart from further beating with her awful words and actions.

Despite that knowledge, she leaned in, pressing her forehead against his bare back, feeling the warmth of his skin against her own, and her heart ached with longing and love, for what used to be and what she desperately wanted to have back. Without stopping to think of the possible consequences, she pressed her lips against his scar. She swallowed roughly in an effort to fight back her tears, and suddenly, in that moment, she desperately wanted to wake him and tell him everything – every feeling and emotion and awful sentiment that had invaded her entire being the past month:

_I feel so guilty and so ashamed and like I've failed you and I must've done something to make it happen and maybe I didn't take care of myself like I should and you know that we weren't even sure we wanted it I even thought about getting rid of it when I first found out and it must've known and what if I ate something or trained too hard with Kya or pushed myself too much with housework and all I've ever wanted was to give you back everything you've lost and now I can't even do that and I blame you and I don't know why I blame you but I do and I blame myself too but I blame you and I know that I shouldn't and that it doesn't make any sense and it's so awful and so wrong of me to do so but I do._

She winced painfully at that last realization, feeling sickened with herself. Cringing in shame, she swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to level the pitching in her stomach.

_How dare you. How dare you blame him. That doesn't even make any sense. How dare you._

She wanted to tell him all of this, have him take her into his arms and tell her that it was okay, it would all be okay, that he still loved her and it would all be okay. But how could she explain to him that she somehow held him responsible, when she herself couldn't even know why?

* * *

"Can I use the knife?"

Katara glanced up from lighting the gas burner on the stove to see Aang at the far end of the counter with a large bowl in front of him, surrounded by fresh vegetables. She swallowed hard, taken aback by the fact that they were addressing each other at all without one of the kids in the room – the last two weeks had proven to be very quiet between them, giving each other the wide berth altogether.

Aang gestured to the large cutting knife lying next to the stove. Katara picked it up and approached the edge of the counter, placing it down next to the bowl. Aang reached for it, and for a brief moment, their fingers touched, and his heart clenched at even that slight brush of contact. He missed her hands. He missed her hands, and her arms, her hair, her mouth, her body. Her scent – sweet, clean, perfect – washed over him, and he closed his eyes for a brief second, breathing it in deeply. His throat ached when he opened them again and found her staring at him with those beautiful, wide blue eyes, filled with such sadness now.

"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely, and then forced himself to look away as he began to chop the cucumber. He couldn't look at her. Looking at her, having her right there while not really having her at all, was too agonizing for words.

Katara turned away as he chopped and worked, the silence between them louder than gunfire. She prepared the filling for the chicken dumplings (tofu for Aang), and in that moment, hearing him slice and dice behind her, she found herself almost ready to say it. All of it. Uncertainty and not knowing why and not being able to explain it all be damned; anything to fix the broken bridge of communication that had crumbled between them in recent weeks.

She had ceased working by then, focused only on the sounds of Aang working behind her. She slowly turned to look at him, face wright with anguish, guilt, fear, clutching her wooden spoon to her chest protectively, not unlike a child with their favorite stuffed animal. She choked his name in a broken whisper.

He looked up, pausing in his salad preparation, his eyes full of anticipation and even a minute amount of hope. "Yeah, Katara?"

She looked at him, those beautiful warm eyes, the naked longing and hope etched into his face, so handsome, and tried to force out the words.

_Just say it. He loves you. Just say it. You can work through it together. Say it._

"You're making the salad wrong. You know I can't stand green peppers."

There was a long moment where he just looked at her, and Katara could not recall ever regretting saying anything more in her life.

Something in Aang's eyes seemed to break then, and he gently set down the knife. Without a word or so much as a second glance towards her, he turned and left the kitchen, leaving Katara alone with her cowardice.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay. I'm not gonna sugarcoat this, guys. This one is really, really rough. So rough that I actually hurt a little bit writing it, which hasn't happened yet. It's actually, along with the first chapter, the roughest in the story, so if you can just buckle down and get through it I can tell you that you are now officially, 100% certainly through the worst, and it's all uphill from here. **

**You're probably gonna hate me for this. Fair warning. **

**Chapter Five – **_**Six Weeks After**_

"Augh! Why isn't this _working_?!"

Aang was heading up the back steps to the house with a marked lack of enthusiasm when he heard the frustrated voice of his daughter just around the front in the courtyard, followed by a very loud, resounding splash. He could tell by the way the water hit the ground that it hadn't been let to fall naturally; she had very deliberately and willfully slammed it down in anger. Brow furrowing in anxious worry, he wound around the side of the house only to be greeted by a disheartening sight: Kya was curled into a ball at the foot of the steps, knees drawn to her chest, crying.

He immediately placed down the basket of vegetables and moon peaches he'd picked up from his daily trip to the market to collect feed for the sky bison and crossed the smooth stone in three quick strides to where the girl wept. She hadn't seemed to hear him coming, but when he sat down next to her and drew her into his arms, she still turned into him, tucking her face into the front of his robes as she convulsed with anguished tears. Aang dropped a kiss into the dark hair at the crown of her head, rubbing her back soothingly until she finally was able to gain some composure, turning her face up to meet his gaze. Her eyes were red and watery, her nose tinged pink and her cheeks flushed. He reached out and tenderly brushed a tear away from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"You want to tell me what's wrong, sweetie?"

At the very understandable question, Kya seemed to shrink into herself, almost as if she were afraid of something. That alarmed her father even more, but he was determined to find out what had his little girl sobbing so bitterly. He already had a wife who had done all but completely cut him off emotionally, especially following their disastrous argument after the party at Republic City Hall the week prior. His heart could not handle seeing another girl he loved in pain.

Kya sniffled again, trying to form words. Finally, she managed to speak, her voice small and timid.

"Daddy…did I do something wrong?"

Aang was visibly taken aback by the question. Of all the inquiries or statements he'd been expecting, that hadn't been one of them. Deep worry creased his brow as he rushed to reassure his daughter.

"No! No, of course not, sweetheart! Why would you ask something like that?"

Kya reached up to wipe her nose noisily on her sleeve, still hugging her knees to her chest tightly. "Then…why doesn't Mom like me anymore?"

It felt not terribly unlike the moment that Ozai blasted him into the pointed rock that had almost impaled him through the back. Suddenly, his stomach was made of lead and it became very, very difficult to breathe. He swallowed hard, smoothing her unkempt hair back from her splotchy face, and tried to keep his voice even when he spoke. But he was unsuccessful; he heard the tremor in it as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Sweetie…your mother could _never_ not like you," he whispered against the top of her head. "She loves you more than anything in the entire world. Where on Earth did you get an idea like that?"

Her reply was muffled against his chest. "Then why doesn't she ever want to spend time with me anymore?" Her voice was garbled with the fresh tears welling in her eyes. "We…we used to always be together, but for the past few weeks…ever since she got sick that one time…it's like she doesn't want me around anymore. She won't play with me or bend with me or read me stories or sing to me and Bumi like she always did. She never smiles anymore either. And most of the time she's too tired to cook dinner so Gran-Gran does it with me instead. She'll feed Tenzin but that's it. And," her voice began to tremble and it was like a physical, stabbing pain to Aang's heart, "since we don't practice together anymore, my waterbending isn't as good. I can tell." She choked out a small sob. "Maybe…maybe I did something to make her mad at me…"

Aang had to take several deep, even breaths to calm down. Something inside him was beginning to bubble, pitch, rage. When he was certain he could speak without losing control, he took his daughter's face in his hands, holding her full attention.

"Kya," he said hoarsely, "you have done absolutely nothing wrong. Nothing at all. Please, please put that thought out of your mind right now, okay? None of that is your fault. _None of it_."

Kya blinked up at him, her gray eyes wet and hopeful. "It's not?"

"No. Your mother…she's been feeling really bad lately, for several reasons. She's still pretty sick," he explained, and this time he didn't feel guilty about his wording – he knew that in essence, it was true, and it was something a 10-year-old girl would easily comprehend. "And it's probably going to take her a while to get better. But by absolutely no means does that mean that she is angry with you or doesn't want you around. She wants you around, she's just too sick right now to show you it. Do you understand?"

Kya nodded miserably, but it was clear that her confusion hadn't completely abated. "Why is she sick, Daddy? What happened to her?"

Aang hesitated for a moment, trying to sort through all of the intense emotions inside of him to think of an explanation that would be both truthful and make sense to Kya. He pulled her against him, tucking her against his side.

"Sweetheart, we all have little things inside of us, called hormones. They're little chemicals that can control how happy and sad we are. And sometimes, for women especially, those chemicals stop working right and make them sick. They get better," he rushed to add when Kya's eyes widened with alarm, "but it can take a little bit. That's what's wrong with Mom right now. Her hormones aren't working right. That's why she's so sad and tired all the time."

He could tell that the explanation, while not exactly making Kya feel better about the situation, at least provided her some relief and some context as to what was happening with her mother and her behavior lately. She nodded in understanding, but seemed to need verification just one last time: "so, I didn't do anything? She's not mad at me?"

"No, Kya. She is absolutely not mad at you." He pressed another kiss to her temple. "I'm so, so sorry if she – if you believed otherwise. Your mother loves you. I love you. She just…needs to heal."

Despite his sage words, the rolling, pitching pressure inside him was growing and growing with every passing second. White hot and fierce and violent, it startled him with its intensity.

"And until she gets better," he found himself saying, prompting her curious gaze, "there's no rule that only Mom is allowed to train you. I'd be happy to practice waterbending with you in the evenings when I get home from work or after dinner. Would you like that?"

Suddenly, Kya's face lit up into an ecstatic grin. It wasn't as though Aang had never practiced waterbending with Kya – he did, actually, pretty often. Kya loved getting instructions and teaching from her father because it offered different perspectives, ideas and techniques than her mother's. Both Aang and Katara had always understood and encouraged this, wanting their daughter to become the best, most well-rounded bender she could be. Despite this, however, it was an unspoken rule in their house that Katara was Kya's main sifu with regards to the art. Daily training after school and homework was their time not only to share in their joined native element, but also bond as mother and daughter as well.

"Really, Daddy? Yes! I'd love it! Thank you!"

Despite the despair and pitching rage he felt inside, he smiled down at her pretty face, so reminiscent of the woman he loved it was almost painful to make himself do so. He swallowed back the lump in his throat, enveloping the girl in a fierce, protective hug.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

* * *

Aang walked back towards the house, having given instructions to Kya to take a break and go feed Appa, Jalus and the other sky bison, and with every step he took, his breath became shallower and shallower, harsher, more ragged. His blood pounded in his ears, his muscles constricted, every inch of him tense. His heart slammed into his ribcage with every foot placed in front of the other, palms sweating, fists balled.

In his entire 31 years, he could not recall ever having been so incredibly, irascibly livid.

It was a completely foreign sensation. Unlike anything he'd ever felt in his entire life. It was as if something primal and animalistic had been ignited inside of him, something with claws and teeth, something on a mission to annihilate anything that reduced his precious little girl to such anguished tears.

It just so happened that this time, that "anything" happened to be his wife.

By the time he slammed open the door to the house, it was as if an unknown force was pushing him down the hallway to the open, airy space of the living room, where Katara sat in the chair by the window in her dressing gown, once again staring forlornly out into the gardens, her expression devoid of any and all emotion. He moved so fast that, had he been conscious of his steps at all, he would've thought he'd floated himself there on a gust of air. Finally, he rounded the corner and barged into the living room with all the ferocity of a spitting, hissing cheetah-bear, tears stinging his eyes, and he knew that this was it. This was his breaking point, the awful, horrible place where he just simply could not hold it even remotely together anymore. While last week's horrendous altercation, her inability to voice her love for him – if any was even left – had left him sobbing into Appa's soft fur practically all night, that paled in comparison to this, this nauseating, white-hot rage that seemed to utterly eradicate his conflict-avoiding, peace-loving nature. In that moment, he was both awed and horrified to realize that he was no longer Avatar Aang, the gentle air nomad with a myriad of peace-keeping accolades to his name. He was merely Aang, Kya's father.

"You need to do better," he snarled, his narrowed, steely glare burrowing into the back of her head.

Katara didn't even flinch. For a moment, Aang wondered if she'd even heard him. She seemed to have completely exorcised him from her entire emotional life since the night of the party, to the point where he wondered if she even noticed his presence anymore.

Employing the tactic she herself had taught him years ago, he immediately strode over to stand in front of her chair, and the second his eyes fell on her face, he felt his resolve shake a bit. So beautiful, and yet so sad and lost. He was torn between knowing that yelling would only make her close off more, and thinking that she had already closed herself off as much as possible so perhaps yelling was the only hope he had of getting through to her.

"You need to do better," he repeated forcefully, and she started to blur in his vision as droplets of unshed tears stuck to his eyelashes. "This cannot go on this way, Katara! We can't keep doing this! _You_ can't keep doing this! You want to check out of this marriage? You don't want me anymore? That's fine! But you _don't_ get to check out of being their mother! You don't get to toss them aside like they don't exist!"

For one agonizing moment, Katara simply sat perfectly still like a china doll, her blue eyes welling with tears. It mattered very little that they didn't fall. To Aang, it still felt like someone had pierced him through the middle with one of Piandou's Fire Nation-style bayonets. Nonetheless, the words were pouring out of him now and he simply could not hold them back.

"Do you know what I just walked in on? Kya, outside in the courtyard, sobbing her eyes out because she thinks her mother hates her!"

That vehement statement managed to do what nothing else had. Katara's head instantly snapped up, her anguish etched into every line of her face. She made several attempts to speak, but only succeeded in shaking her head instead, leaning over in her chair and finally reaching up and placing her hands over her ears, desperate to block it out, block it all out.

And just like that, it was as if all the rage seeped out of Aang's body in one fell swoop. It had been like a bursting dam; a crack, followed by waves and waves of rage, and then finally the last trickling vestiges before total quiet. As he watched her there, bent over, shaking her head and ears covered, he felt his knees buckle as he fell before her, his own tears falling freely now. He gingerly reached up to take hold of her wrists, gently prying her hands away from her ears, and she did not fight him. Still, when she looked at him, he couldn't entirely shake the feeling that she was looking through him rather than at him – her eyes were glazed and distant, almost impenetrable, and he knew he had to find a way to get through before he lost her entirely.

"Please, Katara," he croaked, dropping her wrists and taking her face fiercely in his hands. His words were garbled and broken with pure desperation and anguish. "Please, I am begging you, I am on my knees begging you, tell me how to fix this. Tell me how to make this better for you. I will do anything. I will do anything you ask. I know you're angry at me. I know. I'm angry at myself, too. But I need to know why. I need to know so I can fix it. Please, help me fix it! I can't lose you, Katara. I can't. _Please_."

She whispered something unintelligible, and Aang shook his head.

"I can't hear you, Sweetie," he said thickly.

And finally, that glazed look cleared, and it seemed like she was really focusing on him for the first time. Rivulets of tears swam down her cheeks, and this time, though her voice was faint, he heard her.

"You couldn't bring it back."

He blinked, not understanding. "Bring it back? Bring what back?"

"You couldn't bring it back," she repeated, and although he could tell that the words were accusatory in and of themselves, the tone was anything but – instead, they were saturated in guilt and shame.

"Katara," he whispered, "I don't understand what you mean. What couldn't I bring back?"

Her face crumpled, and she dropped her head into her hands, and suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks.

That's why she was angry at him. Not just because of vacillating hormones. Not just because of depression over having lost the baby.

Because he couldn't bring their baby back.

The only sound in the room was Katara's muffled sobs. Aang stared at her, dazed and in a total stupor, reeling from the realization. He tried to speak once, but failed. Tried again, but no words came. Finally, on the third try, he managed to push past the block that had wedged itself in his throat.

"You blame me," he whispered hoarsely. The words were free of censure, but devastating nonetheless. "You've blamed me all this time. That's why you keep pushing me away."

She shook her head to refute the statement, desperate to reassure him that while the words were true, she blamed herself far more than she blamed him and there were a million other reasons she kept pushing him away, none of which had anything to do with failures on his part at all. But the damage had been done. She could see Aang shrink back into himself, horrified and guilty and angry and scared, and he slowly pushed himself to his feet. She knew he was leaving. She knew he was going to run, like he always did, and she was torn between hating him for it and wanting to reach out and grab his hand to beg him to stay, but she couldn't seem to force it to obey.

_I'm sorry._ Two little words, two such small little words, words that could begin the healing process to fix everything that was broken between them, and yet neither one of them could make them come.

"Okay, Katara," he croaked numbly. "You want me to stay away. You win. I'll stay away."

He turned and left the living room, refusing to fall apart entirely until he got out to the stables, where he knew he would be spending another night sobbing into Appa's flank. As he walked, he prayed to the spirits that she would call him back, run after him, anything at all.

But she didn't.

* * *

Katara's head pounded as she managed to pull herself from the bed late the next morning, slip on her dressing robe and head down to the kitchen. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes dark and bloodshot, her normally dark, luxurious skin pale and sallow. She hadn't slept a wink and she knew before even laying eyes on her husband that it had been the same for him.

One glance at him confirmed it. The kids had already been shuffled off to school by Kanna and Aang stood at the window, holding Tenzin in his arms and feeding him by bottle, his eyes dead and empty as he stared off into space over the bay. He sensed her presence at the door, hovering there with her arms wrapped protectively around her middle, and for a long time, he would not look at her. When he finally turned to meet her eyes, it was as if the two were separated by a thousand miles when in reality barely 6 feet lay between them.

Tenzin began to squirm for his mother as usual, and Aang placed his bottle back in the ice box for later. He crossed over to where his wife stood, the air thick with sorrow between them, and dutifully passed their son into her arms. Katara cradled the little boy against her chest as he snuggled into her body, and she gazed up at Aang, her plump lower lip trembling with the words that lived there constantly but she could not speak.

"I'm gonna go to work," Aang whispered gruffly. And without futher elaboration, he pressed a kiss to Tenzin's head, stepped around them, and headed down the hall and out the front door, pausing only to grab his cloak.

For a long moment, Katara merely stood there in the kitchen, holding her son, and drowning in the thick silence that was very nearly suffocating her. Then, she sat down at the kitchen table, tucked the infant deeper against her bosom, and cried as if she were being ripped in two.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey folks! Sorry this took a while – I had an incredibly busy week last week and then I was away for four days and just got back last night, so I wasn't able to get to this until then. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6 – **_**Two Months After**_

"Aang?"

Aang snapped out of his dazed reverie, glancing over the table at his brother and law only to find Sokka looking at him with an expression that was half confusion, half forlornness. He sighed, straightening in his seat, trying to force himself to focus on the matter at hand.

"Sorry. I'm listening. Go ahead."

Sokka sighed in turn, before he dropped the ordinances he'd been holding on the table and slumping back into his seat. Aang tried not to notice the empathy etched into every line of his face as he did so.

"No, you're not. You haven't heard a word I've said since we sat down to do this two hours ago." He tossed his pen down on the table atop the papers. The words were wry, yet free of censure. "Let's take a break, okay?"

He stood up, moving to the counter with the obvious intention of fixing them both a drink. Aang watched him regretfully before dropping his head into his hand. On the floor beside them, Tenzin and Nilak, his newest nephew only a few months older than Tenzin, played on the floor, rolling around on the softness of their blankets and cooing to each other in baby speak. It was adorable, but Aang found he couldn't appreciate it in that moment.

Sokka placed a mixture of lychee juice and obviously something stronger in front of Aang, before reinstalling himself in the seat across the table. He took a sip before sighing again, obviously waiting for Aang to begin speaking.

Aang knew Sokka was waiting for him to open a vein, but he was so mentally and even at this point physically fatigued he couldn't bring himself to do it just yet. Instead, he glanced over at his small son, who was having way too much fun squeezing the daylights out of a fistful of fur on his stuffed lion-bear, and swallowed down the ache of misery in his throat.

"How are Toph and Lin?" The words just came out, but it was the only thing he could think of to say that wasn't about the issue obsessively filling his mind – his wife.

Sokka seemed to know what he was doing, but complied nonetheless. "They're…okay. They're doing better," he worded carefully.

The lack of enthusiasm in the response had Aang furrowing his brow, his attention held now. He looked at Sokka curiously. He hadn't seen Toph much since when she'd come over for dinner that one time a few weeks after Lin's birth. She still had another month of maternity leave so running into her at work was a moot point. Most of the details – little as they'd been – had come from Sokka. But there hadn't been any indication that things had been rough for her. Then again, Aang considered with a stabbing flash of guilt, he hadn't really asked, nor had he made really any effort to stop by and see her. He'd been so buried in his own despondency, his own marital troubles, that he simply hadn't thought to.

_Some great friend you are_, he chastised himself internally.

"Better?" he prompted. Sokka looked slightly uncomfortable, and Aang knew that he was weighing his replies very, very carefully.

"Yeah," he acknowledged gruffly. "It…it was rough there for a moment in the beginning."

Aang cringed, feeling his face burn with shame. "I had no idea."

"Well, she hasn't been really open about it, honestly," Sokka hedged. "I mean…the guy – the father – let's just say it's not really something she's keen to discuss."

"I thought he was just a casual guy she was seeing? Right?"

There was a long silence, which Sokka filled by taking an even longer swig of his drink. When he swallowed and placed it back down on the table, he nodded affirmatively.

"Right," he acknowledged lightly. Aang's brow furrowed – something about this seemed disingenuous, but he couldn't peg exactly what it was. Sokka continued. "That said, the guy could still at least make an effort to know his kid. I even went –" he stopped short suddenly, as if catching himself, before changing tack. "Anyway. It's not important. Point is, she was really struggling in the beginning. You know Toph. Let's just say 'maternal' is not a word anyone would use to describe her."

Aang loosed a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah, can't argue there."

"She didn't have the slightest clue what to do. Lin would cry and cry and Toph couldn't calm her down so she'd just curl up in the corner with her hands over her ears. It was awful. Feeding, changing her, playing with her – Suki and I finally managed to get her settled into a sort of routine, which seems to be working, but…it was hard. Really hard."

Again, Aang felt guilt unfold thickly in his gut. Here one of his closest friends had been, struggling like mad to get a handle on a situation she was in no way prepared for, and he'd been too self-absorbed and trapped in what was going on between him and Katara to be there for her. He swallowed roughly.

"I'm sorry, Sokka," he said hoarsely. "I had no idea all this was going on. Katara and I…we should have helped more. I…I haven't been a very good friend to Toph at all lately."

Sokka waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "Don't worry about it, Aang. Suki and I understood why you two couldn't be there. You already have enough on your plate right now, and your number one priority needs to be fixing what's broken between you two." Aang winced, realizing that his efforts to avoid discussing the issue were about to be completely thwarted.

"Are you still not talking?" Sokka broached delicately.

Aang sighed, immediately feeling tears sting the backs of his eyes, his head dropping forward. He gazed down into the clear beige liquid of his drink, his throat suddenly completely constricted. He cleared it once, twice. When he spoke, his words were garbled.

"We talk when the kids are there," he confessed brokenly. "If it has to do with them, we'll speak. The bare minimum, but we speak." He paused, drawing in a deep breath. "But aside from that…"

He looked up at Sokka, whose eyes were filled with pain on his behalf. "Aside from that?"

Aang shook his head, feeling the tears cling to his eyelashes precariously, dangerously close to spilling over. "I've…I've been sleeping outside. With Appa. Almost every night since the…" he trailed off, recalling her confession the week prior. The words were still so raw, so visceral, that even just thinking of them again were like physical blows to his chest.

_You blame me. You've blamed me all this time._

_You couldn't bring it back._

"I can't sleep in our bedroom with her," he croaked. "She's completely shut me out, Sokka. I mean, physically I could, but being there with her, having her so close but at the same time not having her at all…it's agony. I can't sleep next to her and not be able to touch her. So I just don't sleep next to her anymore."

Sokka closed his eyes, groaning in commiseration. Aang saw his throat bob spasmodically, which he covered by taking a final gulp of his drink. It was a long time before he found words.

"Do you still love her, Aang?"

Aang's head snapped up. Despite the wetness on his cheeks, his sorrow was quickly replaced with shock, dismay and even anger towards his brother in law for even daring to ask such a question in the first place. He opened his mouth to retort sharply when suddenly he remembered not even two weeks prior, standing in their bedroom, freshly returned from their function at City Hall.

_How could you ask me that?! That question is completely unfair and you know it!_

He groaned internally, suddenly understanding all too well his wife's devastated reaction to his inquiry. He swallowed hard, looking Sokka straight in the eyes, eyes that resembled Katara's to such a startling degree that Aang had actually recently been finding himself avoiding them because the pain of seeing them was too much.

"She's my entire world, Sokka. You know she is. She's been my entire world since I was 12 years old. And she always will be." He paused, unsure of how to word the next bit. "I just…I don't know if I can make her happy anymore."

His voice broke on that last word, and finally the tears began to flow more freely. He wept openly, his forehead falling into the heels of his hands, feeling his bruised heart contract and constrict with every breath.

"Aang."

He managed to lift his head to look at Sokka, who was staring at him with what could only be described as intense certainty. Aang wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robe, but that did nothing to staunch the fresh tears welling up regardless.

"Listen to me," Sokka said gently. "My sister loves you. Adores you. Lives for you. You just said she was your whole world. Well, you are hers. You are absolutely everything to her. I can tell you that with 100% conviction. I know my sister. She loves you every bit as much as she always has."

Aang shook his head, his voice thick. "She couldn't say that she loved me, Sokka," he choked out. "Not even two weeks ago. She couldn't say it. I asked her and she couldn't."

Sokka was already shaking his head. "That doesn't matter. She couldn't say it because she's hurt and grieving right now. Not because that's how she really feels. As a matter of fact, the reason why she's so hurt and grieving and angry is, in large part, due to her inability to tell you how much she still loves you. That's why this is so awful. She loves you so much and she can't express it."

Aang sniffled, taking several, deep breaths to try and calm himself. Sokka reached out and gently lay his own hand atop of Aang's, in a gesture of sympathy and compassion.

"Sometimes, Aang," he remarked, feeling his own eyes sting with tears on his behalf, "we just can't bring ourselves to tell each other how we really feel."

* * *

"You've been in here all afternoon," Kanna remarked, startling Katara from her sea of documents spread out over their kitchen table. "You should take a break. Go for a walk. Some fresh air would be good for you."

Katara sighed, glancing down at her myriad of lesson plans, before sitting back in her chair and letting her plume fall clumsily onto the parchment. "I don't even know why I'm still sitting here," she remarked woodenly. "I haven't written anything in over an hour. I can't focus."

Kanna approached the table, glancing down at the melee strewn across the mahogany wood. "Bending lessons for the week?"

Katara nodded miserably. "Yeah. I've been going through each student's file but everything I think of for them this week I feel is so lifeless. No spirit." She almost smiled, remembering Aang's 12-year-old self frowning at the gliders spiraling around the exterior of the Northern Air Temple, unimpressed by their apparent lack of inspiration. But then, just as suddenly, her stomach clamped at the thought of him, of his absolutely crushing devastation at her cruel words the week before, at the fact that this had been, hands down, the longest they'd gone without speaking since the day they met all those years ago.

Kanna hedged a moment, but then, true to her plain-speaking manner, chose to be direct. "It might help if you had some fun with it yourself. Rather than sitting here planning lessons for other peoples' children, you could try playing with your own daughter, who misses her mother and who doesn't understand why she doesn't want to bend with her anymore."

The words were sharp and blunt, but laced with compassion and kindness. Still, Katara winced as though she'd been slapped. She swallowed roughly, glancing up at Kanna with watery eyes.

"Please, Gran-Gran. Don't."

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but you need to hear this. You've been neglecting Kya. Bumi and Tenzin too, for that matter, but luckily for you, they're too young to really know that. But Kya is being affected by it. Granted Aang has been training with her every day after school, and even though she loves it, I can see it in her eyes. She wishes you were there, too."

"I know, Gran! I know!" Katara shot back hotly. Kanna continued to stare at her forlornly, and Katara dropped her head in regret. "I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely. "I just…you're not telling me anything I don't tell myself every single second of every single day."

_Do you know what I just walked in on? Kya, crying her eyes out, because she thinks her mother hates her! _

The words had been like a sword to the gut that she lacked the strength to remove, and thus had been carrying around with her every moment since she and Aang's reached impasse the week prior. She shook her head, wringing her hands together tightly.

"You are breaking his heart, Katara," Kanna whispered. "I hear him. Every night he sleeps out with Appa. My room is directly across from the stables. He cries himself to sleep almost every night." Katara lurched, looking like she might be sick. "I'm not saying this to guilt you," Kanna soothed gently. "I'm saying this so that you can see that what you two have is worth fighting for. No one cries over each other the way you two have been unless there is an incredible amount of love between them."

"I…I know I've been awful," Katara responded brokenly. "Not just to Kya. But to you, and to my friends, and…to Aang…" her throat closed off completely at that point, and she dissolved into tears, burying her face in her hands.

Kanna immediately was at her side, drawing her into her arms and Katara gratefully flung her arms around her waist, burying her face into her belly much the way she did when she was a child, the way she had that night of the loss after delivering Lin, soaking her grandmother's skirt with her tears. Kanna stroked her hair, soothing her until the storm passed, and when Katara finally was able to regain enough control to speak again, her words were barely understandable, laced with agony.

"It's like…it's all gone, Gran," she wept bitterly. "My will to do anything, show my husband how much I love him, be with my children, care about my life…it's just gone! It's like it left with…with the baby! And I've been so awful to him, a horrible friend and a horrible wife and a horrible lover, and he's totally right to stay away, because _I pushed him there!_ But _even though_ I pushed him there, I'm angry at him for staying away! How sick is that?!"

Her shoulders shook again with the force of her muted sobs, and Kanna very gently reached down, cradling her granddaughter's face in her hands. She tilted her gaze up to her own, using the pads of her thumbs to wipe away her tears, and softly whispered her name.

"Katara," she stated gently, holding her fast. "There was nothing you could have done that night to prevent it. Nothing at all. It was completely beyond your control, and berating yourself over and over is not going to make that any less true."

Katara looked down shamefully, wiping her nose on her sleeve, unwilling to concede the point. But Kanna's next words were like an arrow hitting the center of a target with expert precision:

"And there is nothing Aang could have done to undo it."

For a moment, Katara felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She whipped her head up at Kanna, who was looking at her knowingly, and felt her face burn with shame and guilt. She had no idea how the older woman had deciphered her secret, her irrational blame towards her husband, the true reason why he was staying away, but the knowledge was unbearable.

She knew denying the charge was futile, so she simply nodded, gazing down at her hands. When she spoke again, her voice was very suffocated.

"I miss him so much, Gran," she confessed. Kanna sighed, drawing her back against her, offering tender comfort.

"I know, sweetheart," she murmured. "He misses you, too."

* * *

Katara could not sleep.

Truthfully, she hadn't been sleeping well at all since Aang had taken to sleeping out in the stables with Appa practically every other night. It was an odd paradox; she was resentful of his presence, but then when he wasn't there in the bed with her, she found sleeping without the warmth of his body and the safety of his arms was nigh impossible. The days that he did choose to stay in their bed with her, it was as if they were in two separate beds anyway – none of their regular cuddles or talking or touching (and often much, much more than that). As a result, she often ended up taking small cat-naps throughout the night, deep sleep constantly eluding her.

She rolled over, looking at his side of the bed, empty, and suddenly was overwhelmed with such an ache for him she thought she would evaporate into cinders. She wanted his warmth, his skin, his kisses on her body and his calloused but incredibly gentle hands twisting in her hair, sliding over her smooth stomach and hips, reaching up to cup her breasts. She wanted his mouth on her throat and against her ear, whispering how much he loved her, wanted to feel his waist between her legs, his warmth buried so deeply within hers as her hands smoothed their way down every inch of his arrows. And afterwards, she wanted to lie in the circle of his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it lulled her to sleep, safe and protected and warm, so very warm.

She finally sat up, swinging her legs out of bed, and without thinking about where she was going or why, just needing to release the energy building inside of her, she slipped on her robe and strode from the room. She gazed down the hallway, just a few doors, and suddenly her destination came to her in a burst of clarity. She knew what she needed to do and who she needed to see.

She very quietly slipped into Kya's room, closing the door softly behind her before crossing the bamboo hardwood to softly sit down on her bed, careful not to wake her. For the first time in almost 3 weeks, she took the time to really, truly surround herself with her daughter's presence.

The 10-year-old was curled into a ball, her long hair disheveled, the coiled waves spilling out over her pillow and her mouth slightly slackened with sleep. Her eyelashes fluttered spasmodically with her dreams, and the silver light of the moon bathed her features – a perfect mixture of both hers and Aang's – with a nearly ethereal glow. Her limbs were long and lanky and slightly awkward after her latest growth spurt, but Katara knew without a doubt that as she moved into her teenaged years her daughter would grow and develop into an absolutely striking beauty. Her heart blooming with affection for the first time in what felt like forever, she reached out to tenderly stroke her cheek, brushing Kya's hair away from her face.

It turned out that her daughter was not as deeply asleep as she'd originally thought, because the gesture was enough to wake her. Her eyelashes fluttered open, and she mumbled in confusion for a moment before her gray eyes, dark with sleep, focused on her mother.

"Mom?" Her voice was small, hoarse with sleep. Katara smiled warmly.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Kya rubbed at her eyes, still looking bleary and unfocused. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be asleep too?"

"Yes, I should be. But I couldn't sleep because I was missing you too much."

Kya clutched her blanket tighter around her against the chill. "You…you missed me?" The naked hope in her voice was like an arrow to Katara's heart.

She stretched out beside the girl, curling up into a ball next to her so that they were lying face to face. Her throat tight, she nodded as she tucked a few strands of hair behind Kya's ear.

"Yes, sweetie," she whispered back. "I've missed you, so much. I know I haven't been very good at paying attention to you lately or spending time with you, and I'm so sorry that I hurt your feelings."

"Daddy said you were sick," Kya confessed. Katara closed her eyes, swallowing back her tears.

"He's right," she whispered. "I haven't been feeling very good lately at all, but that's not an excuse for how I've been treating you. You should know that no matter how bad I might feel, I love you more than anything in the entire world. You and your brothers and your father mean everything to me. I'm going to try really hard to do a better job, Kya. Starting with training and bending together again. Immediately."

Kya favored her with a small smile, reaching out to clutch her mother's hand with her own, smaller one. Katara dropped a kiss to the back of it, and when she smiled back at her, she was both surprised and overjoyed that it was genuine.

"It's okay, Mommy," Kya whispered. "I forgive you. I just hope you feel better soon."

Her unconditional forgiveness only served to increase Katara's guilt, but she stamped it back down to focus on her baby girl. Framing her head in her hands, she pressed a kiss to Kya's forehead.

"You know what would make me feel a lot better right now?" She asked.

Kya grinned, and in that moment her missing tooth was so adorable it was almost heartbreaking. "What?"

"I'd love to sleep in here with you tonight," she confessed. "If, you know, you're not too cool to be sharing your bedroom with your mother."

Kya giggled. The sound was like a soothing balm for Katara's bruised heart, and her daughter enthusiastically shook her head.

"As long as you don't tell Bumi, I think it's okay." She held out her pinkie for a pinkie swear. "Deal?"

Katara laughed, hooking her own pinkie with Kya's. "Deal."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – **_**Nine Weeks After**_

_Dear Aang,_

_I love you. I know I have done an absolutely terrible job of showing that lately, but I love you more than anything in this entire world, this entire universe, even. And I hate myself for not being able to just tell you that. But for some reason, I can't, which is why I'm sitting here at 2 a.m. writing you this letter that I already know I won't have the courage to give you. I already know why I won't have the courage. Not because I'm afraid you won't forgive me, but because I am afraid you will. And I feel like I don't deserve to be forgiven. Not after everything I've put you through the last 2 and a half months._

_Tonight at dinner while Bumi was telling us about his day at school, there was a moment where I realized that if an outside observer had been present, they would not have been able to tell anything was amiss at all. In front of the kids we'd seem so happy and normal, at least to a stranger. And I've been trying really hard to be better with them, I really have. We even speak when we're all together, and every time you look across the table at me and move to say something and I see that sadness in your beautiful eyes I just want to cry and hold you and cover your face with kisses and tell you how I feel about you and make you believe it again, because I know you've begun to doubt it and it breaks my heart to know that. I miss you so much I can't breathe. _

_You asked me a few weeks ago if I still loved you, and because I'm a coward and a hypocrite, I couldn't answer, but I love you so much, sweetie, that everything inside me hurts. All the time. Even just being in your presence makes my whole body ache. Every breath you take is like a piercing stab through my heart, and seeing the pain you are in and knowing that I am the cause of that is like a crushing weight constantly sitting on my chest. You are the only thing I truly want in this entire world. I wish I were brave enough to tell you._

_Love,_

_Katara_

* * *

_**Ten Weeks After**_

_My Dearest Aang,_

_I saw you today while I was outside waterbending with Kya after dinner, and the look on your face just seemed to pull all the breath out of my lungs__**. **__We were practicing the Octopus Move – you make a fine one, pupil Aang – and we were smiling and laughing and you know something? I was really, really happy. I love bending with Kya and I'm amazed that I went such a long time without it. But I saw you there and you had this expression on your face that was like a kick to the chest – like you were so happy to see me so happy, but at the same time devastated because you're afraid to let yourself hope again that maybe I can heal and get better. I want so badly to get better for you and be the wife, friend and lover you deserve. _

_I want you to come inside every night now. I want you to stop sleeping with Appa and sleep next to me, the way it should be. I know I've made you feel like you're not welcome there but you are, Aang, you are welcome there. I want to sleep with your arms around me. I want to feel your face tucked into the nape of my neck as we sleep, I want to wake up cuddled in your embrace, I want to kiss you until your lips are raw and swollen and have our all-night talks that last until the sun starts to rise and we groan because we know the kids will be up soon and we're probably not getting any sleep at all for the day at least until that evening. _

_I miss making love to you so much it's physically unbearable. Sometimes at night I lie there in bed and there's this awful, horrible heat in my breasts and between my legs and I feel like I'll go crazy if I can't have you with me, inside of me. I miss the way you'd always lay your head on my tummy afterwards, how you'd kiss each of my hipbones and around my belly button because you know I'm ticklish there. I miss the way you would always blush until the tips of your ears turned red when you'd find a red mark on my neck that you'd left by accident because you didn't realize in the heat of the moment exactly how passionate you'd gotten. I miss talking afterwards, feeling safe to tell you what I was thinking or feeling, what I was scared of, what made me happy, what I was worried about._

_I wish we could talk again. The way we used to. Beyond the logistics, beyond the surfacey comments such as passing the salt or asking you to hand me the broom. Always so polite, so polished, so formal. So not us. I want so badly for us to find our way back to that. I'm trying, sweetie. I really am. Please don't give up on me. Not yet._

_I love you._

_Katara_

* * *

_**Eleven Weeks After**_

_My Love,_

_It helps to write these to you, even though you haven't read them. I feel like I'm really talking to you again even if it's not out loud. It comforts me. I don't know why I can't just give you these letters, but for some reason I'm still so scared to. I first said that I felt like I didn't deserve to be forgiven. I still think that, but I think there is also a small part of me that fears your rejection after so many months of me constantly rejecting you. I know that's ridiculous. You've always been able to forgive me anything, never been able to deny me anything I ask of you. It's your most wonderful asset and probably your greatest weakness, too._

_I heard you last night, while I was in the shower. I know I was crying again – I don't even understand how I have any tears left at this point. I heard you open the door and come in, and you stood there, and I knew you wanted to comfort me but you were afraid to because of last time. But I didn't want to lock you out this time. I wanted you. I wanted you to climb in there with me and hold me and then take me back to bed and hold me there, too. But you didn't and I don't blame you for not doing so; I know how deeply I hurt you last time and I'm so sorry. I don't expect you to keep opening yourself up to abuse you don't deserve, but I want you to know I wouldn't have pushed you away that time, Aang. As more and more time goes by it's like the anger and resentment is getting less and less and all I feel is a constant ache for you. It eclipses anything and everything else in my life, every other emotion I have. I need to tell you all this to your face. I know. Sokka and Suki keep pushing me to make the first move, but I feel so lost. I don't even know where to start or what to do. You've always been my safe space, Aang. When I don't know what to do or when I have a problem or I'm scared, my first impulse is to run to my best friend and ask him what I should do. But in this case, my problem and my best friend happen to be the same thing. What do I do?_

_I love you so much. I miss you so much. I need to fix this. I'm going to fix this, Aang. I promise._

_Love,_

_Katara_

* * *

__**A/N: Pssssst...guess what?**

**They make up next chapter.**

**Thanks for sticking with this, folks.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter contains verbatim dialogue from Chapter 4 of Tales of Republic City by DJNS, with her permission. In other words, almost all the dialogue in the final part of this chapter Is Most Definitely Not Mine. If you HAVEN'T read Tales of Republic City by DJNS, ****reconsider your life choices immediately, you insane, insane person. Uh, I mean, **you should go do that immediately. Because quite honestly, this story won't mean nearly as much without having read that first.

**Chapter 8 – **_**Three Months After**_

"Yaaaaaaaaaay! Faster, Daddy, faster!"

Bumi clutched his father desperately around his waist, squealing with childish laughter as Aang finished yet another grand tour around the courtyard on the Air Scooter. It was, hands down, the 6-year-old's favorite game in the entire world. Nothing made him happier than riding on his father's back piggy-back style as they whirled up and down the smooth stone, around the columns and even upside-down along the arches.

Finally Aang dissipated the ball of air, much to Bumi's groaning disappointment, and laughingly pulled the little boy from his waist. Bumi pouted, crawling into his father's lap to look up at him with his impossibly big, blue eyes. Aang felt his heart constrict. Bumi resembled his mother to an almost frightening degree. Normally, that was a source of peace and comfort for him. But now, it was just additional pain on top of an already throbbing, constant ache.

"I gotta take a break, buddy," Aang laughed breathlessly, hugging him close. "You've totally worn me out today! I can't keep up with you anymore."

Bumi giggled. "Are you tired, Daddy?"

"I am, kiddo," Aang laughed. "You're getting too big for your old man to be able to chase you around like he used to."

"I don't believe you, Daddy. You're the Avatar. You're stronger and better than anyone!"

Aang laughed warmly at the little boy's enthusiasm, feeling his heart swell at the unabashed pride in his voice. He ruffled the tousled dark waves affectionately. "Even the Avatar needs time to relax, buddy," he indulged, rising to his feet and pulling Bumi with him. "Why don't we head inside and get something cold to drink, huh? Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Can I have lychee juice?" Bumi asked immediately, trotting along Aang's side, grasping his hand tightly. "Mommy made some this morning, and – OWWWWWWWW!"

The little boy suddenly tumbled over, reaching for his foot with a wail of pain. Aang instantly crouched down next to him, coaxing his gaze up to his own.

"What's wrong, Bumi? What is it?"

Tears of pain welled over in Bumi's eyes as he sobbingly presented Aang with the sole of his foot. In doing so, Aang noticed a small movement on the smooth stone not six inches away, where his son had been walking barefoot. His eyes landed on the dark spot writhing against the pebbles and he instantly felt his heart constrict and his breath congeal in his lungs. A spider-wasp. For most children, its sting was extremely painful but resulted in nothing more than a bit of local swelling and discomfort for a day or so.

Bumi, however, was highly, highly allergic, a fact that they had frighteningly discovered when he was 3 years old during a family camping trip in the Fire Nation. And not just allergic in the "swells up a bit worse and longer than most" sense. Allergic in the "if you don't treat this right away, it could be fatal" sense.

Bumi sobbed harder as the affected area immediately began to balloon up. Aang felt panic flood through his entire body, as if someone had poured ice water into his veins, but he knew he had to stay calm for his son or else he would only make the situation worse.

"Daddy," Bumi wailed, "it hurts!"

Instantly, Aang scooped him up, cradling the little boy to him tightly and immediately heading towards the house. "It's okay, kiddo," he soothed him, trying to keep his voice as even as possible but hearing the tremor in it with his own ears. "You're going to be okay. We're going to go see Mommy and she's going to fix it, okay? Just take nice, deep breaths for me. Nice and deep."

He could already hear the difficulty in the little boy's breathing, becoming more labored as his throat began to close, and the terror was so real, so intense he began to feel sick. _Don't lose it, Aang_, he warned himself internally, fiercely. _Do not lose it. You have to stay calm._

"Daddy," Bumi wheezed. "I can't breathe good…"

Tears of fear began to sting the backs of Aang's eyes, but he rubbed his back soothingly and bounded up the stairs at lightning speed. "I know, buddy," he said, swallowing back the ever-rising alarm within him. "We're almost there. Just keep breathing, as deep as you can, okay?"

Just then he burst through the door, praying to the spirits Katara was nearby. He looked around the living room and front entrance, but saw no sign of her.

"KATARA! KATARA, ARE YOU IN HERE? COME QUICK!"

She appeared almost instantly, her pretty features tainted with worry as she stepped in through the back door from the garden. She saw Aang cradling Bumi, with her little boy gasping for air and her husband shaking and terrified, and instantly felt her stomach plummet like lead.

"What happened?!"

"He stepped on a spider-wasp," Aang rambled quickly, his voice trembling and his gray eyes wide with panic. "He's having a reaction, Katara, he can barely breathe –"

Katara's creamy cocoa skin turned a deathly shade of grayish-white, but her maternal and healing instincts kicked in almost instantly. In less than a nanosecond, she had taken Bumi into her arms, who was now seriously beginning to panic himself.

"Mommy…I…it hurts…I'm scared…"

"I know, sweetie," she soothed softly, laying him down on the futon, smoothing back his hair lovingly. "I know you're scared, but it's going to be okay. Mommy's here now. I'm going to make it better, okay?" She kissed his forehead before turning to Aang. "Aang, run and grab me a glass and my waterskin. You know where I hang it, right?"

He nodded. "Right. What else?"

"The eucalyptus lotion on my dresser and my tweezers," she instructed, her own voice shaking violently. "You know where those –"

"In the cabinet above the sink," Aang confirmed, already turning to run down the hallway towards their room. "I'll be right back!"

While Katara comforted and soothed their son, Aang bolted down the hallway, skidding into their bedroom. He yanked Katara's waterskins off the wall before dashing across the room to snatch her jar of eucalyptus cream. After that, he scrambled into the bathroom and flung open the cabinet, immediately locating her tweezers and grabbing them with shaking fingers. He turned and bolted back out of the bedroom, stopping for 3 seconds to grab a glass off of the kitchen table before returning to the living room. He almost fainted when he saw his son, so tiny and frail, on the futon. In the less than two minutes it had taken to gather all the supplies, the little boy's lips had started to turn blue and his eyes were wide with panic.

He skidded to their side, thrusting the materials at Katara. With shaking hands, his wife immediately and expertly uncorked the skins and poured the water into the glass. She set it aside and then reached for her tweezers. Taking Bumi's small foot in her hands, she looked up at the little boy.

"Okay honey, this is going to hurt just for a little bit. I need you to be a brave boy for me, okay?" Bumi nodded, and with expert precision, Katara grasped the end of the stinger with her tweezers and yanked the object from Bumi's tender flesh in one swift motion. Bumi gasped noiselessly in pain. Aang reached out, stroking his hair and pressing a kiss to his rumpled head.

"It's okay buddy," he whispered. "That's it. It's done." Katara was already bending water over the foot, soothing the infected area and seeping the water in through the tiny puncture wound to stop the venom. She picked up the glass of water.

"Aang, hold him up for me?" she asked frantically. Aang immediately wedged himself behind his son, holding him up. Bumi whimpered in pain as Katara pressed the glass into his small hands.

"Drink this for me, sweetie," Katara urged. "The whole thing. Drink it down."

Bumi didn't argue. He brought the glass to his blue lips and began to drink. He gagged and coughed a bit at first as the tightness of his throat rejected the liquid. Aang soothingly rubbed his back.

"I know it doesn't want to go down, sweetie," he explained, his voice garbled. "But you need to keep drinking. It'll go down soon. Just keep drinking."

Bumi nodded and tried again, and Katara slipped her hands under Bumi's collar to press her fingers against his sternum. She slowly began to rub up and down the area as Bumi drank, and sure enough, in a few more seconds the water began to pass through without issue. The more he drank, the easier it became, and Aang knew that Katara's touch combined with the water were relaxing and forcing open the enflamed muscles of the little boy's throat, beginning to reduce them back to their normal size.

When Bumi finished, he dropped the glass, and Aang noticed, with an indescribable surge of relief, his color beginning to return, his lips beginning to flush back to their natural pink. His breathing became deeper and smoother, the panic in his eyes cleared. Katara continued to administer attention to his foot, soothing the swelling, and the terror in her eyes began to fade as she noticed her son's recovery. She looked up at Aang with a watery smile, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"He's going to be okay," she said hoarsely. Aang nodded, still grinning widely.

"Yeah, he is."

They looked at each other for a very, very long time, Aang smoothing back Bumi's dark hair absently with his hand. He knew he should've been focused on his son, but in that moment all he could see was his wife, smiling at him with tears in her eyes, and he was hit with a surge of love and longing so intense he actually swooned. Suddenly, it was as if the past three months had never happened; no anger, no bitterness, no sadness or regret or resentment, just love. Love and relief. Right then, despite the awfulness of the episode, it was as if life was perfect, and he had his partner back.

She suddenly noticed their staring and blushed, swallowing hard, and then turned and took hold of the eucalyptus cream. Unscrewing it, she scooped up some with the tips of her fingers and smiled at Bumi, who had stopped crying and was simply breathing deeply, healthy again but looking very tired. As she started to rub the cream along his upper chest, letting the vapors continue to sooth and open his throat, he gave his mother a tired grin.

"I feel a lot better, Mommy," he said softly. Katara smiled even wider, reaching in to press a kiss to Bumi's face.

"I'm glad, sweetheart," she whispered into his shaggy hair. "You scared me. You scared both of us."

Aang loosed a shaky laugh. "I'll say that again. No more barefoot for you, buddy," he teased, hugging the little boy tighter to him. "Shoes on outside, all the time from now on. Okay?"

Bumi nodded weakly, but Aang could tell his wasn't thrilled with the edict. Nonetheless, he didn't argue.

"Okay, Daddy. I'll wear shoes outside."

Aang also pressed a kiss into the unruly hair before looking back up at Katara, who was staring at him again with an expression that was as sad as it was loving. She favored him another small smile.

"You did great," she whispered. And that time, it was Aang who felt his throat close up, but completely unrelated to an allergic reaction of any kind.

"Thanks sweetie," he whispered back gruffly. "So did you."

* * *

Aang slept in their bed that night.

The hour was late, but neither one was asleep. As the minutes passed by with only the sounds of the water outside and the moth-crickets chirping in the distance as they flew through the fields, neither Aang nor Katara could find any real rest. The adrenaline rush of Bumi's emergency combined with the elation of having connected again emotionally, even the tiniest bit and even through such a scary episode, kept them both awake and on high alert.

Aang could hear Katara's breathing, smooth and quiet, as the seconds ticked by. He wanted nothing more in the entire world but to reach out and hold her, kiss her, taste her mouth and touch her hair and feel the warmth of her body pressed against his. And from her side of the bed, he could feel an energy emanating from her – something that seemed almost inviting, but his hope had been so crushed in weeks past he was far too terrified to truly believe that that was what it could be. He couldn't let himself hope and think that she was, even a bit, opening herself up to him again, because when the inevitable moment came that she pushed him away, he didn't know if he could survive it. Not again. Not now.

With that heavy thought, he slowly sat up and swung his long legs out of the bed. He sat on the edge for a long, long time, gazing down at his hands. He knew Katara was waiting for him to speak, and when he did, his whisper was throbbing and hurt.

"Katara?"

There was a long silence, but she thankfully replied.

"Yeah?"

"…Do…do you think that…"

He trailed off, a lump lodging itself in his larynx, blocking his words from further exit. Swallowing roughly, Katara rolled over to look at him, her eyes landing on his back, her heart breaking at how hunched and defeated his posture was.

"Do I think what?" She whispered tremulously.

There was another long stretch of soundlessness.

"Do you think that it's possible for me to ever make you happy again?"

The words hung in the air thick and heavy, like a dead body from a gallows. Katara's vision swam with tears. She wanted so badly to be able to say "yes," to draw him into her, tuck him into her body and reassure him with words and lips and caresses that she knew he could, but the truth was, she had no idea. Not because he wasn't capable of making her happy.

Because she didn't know if _she_ was capable of making her happy.

She knew she had a choice. She could stay silent, as she'd taken to doing, and basically shut down and retreat inside herself. She could lash out at him, which she simply did not want to do anymore. Or…she could tell him the truth. For once.

"I don't know, Aang."

His back stiffened, and she saw him ball his fists into the sheets. He nodded slowly, and she knew he was crying. The ache in her heart was suffocating, and suddenly she reached for him for the first time in weeks, yearning to touch him, comfort him and also be comforted in some way, but just as her fingers were about to graze his back, he stood up and walked from the room, leaving her alone.

She closed her eyes, her head sinking deeper into her pillow, letting the tears fall unchecked.

* * *

He hadn't heard her come up to the temple rooftop, but Aang supposed that was more having to do with the fact that he had been crying harder than he'd cried during the entire past 3 months. He hunched over, his head in his hands, sobbing as though he were being torn clean in two, not just out of misery but out of fear – stone, cold, penetrating fear – that perhaps, just perhaps, it was too late. Katara was too far gone from him and he was going to lose her.

The thought of a life where he couldn't be with Katara wasn't even conceivable to him. All he had ever wanted, _ever_, from this life, since the moment he laid eyes on her all those years ago, was her. To be her friend, to love her, for her to love him the same way. To marry her and father her children and build a life with her. As long as he had Katara, nothing else mattered – he could work around and adapt to anything and everything life handed him, true to his Airbender heritage. The genocide of his people, mastering the elements at the tender age of 12, saving the world, all of that was surmountable. But losing Katara…it was the one thing, Aang was certain, that he simply would not be able to live through. It would destroy him, break him at his core, and the idea was so terrifying that it took his breath away. All the Air Nation rules of non-attachment simply did not apply there, and truthfully, it never had.

The touch on his shoulder was light, the skin warm and soft, and when Aang twisted up to see Kanna looking down at him sadly, he couldn't stop himself from throwing himself into her embrace. Kanna had always been the closest thing to a mother figure he'd ever known; and in that moment, he needed her guidance and wisdom more than anything.

She sat down, cradling him to her as he wept, soothingly running her withered hand up and down the blue tattoo of his back, her heart breaking for him with every gasping sob. She said nothing, offered no words of comfort or assurance, because she knew that there was nothing she could say to fix it or make it better for him. Only Katara could do that. But she _could_ be there for him while he cried – that, she could do.

"I don't know what to do, Kanna," he wept brokenly. "I've tried everything and…and I don't know if we can fix it. She doesn't know if we can. She's my whole world, Kanna. Nothing matters without her. I can't _live_ without her."

He didn't care how desperate it sounded. It was the truth, and this was not a moment for any sort of pretense whatsoever. Kanna pressed a kiss to the top of his shaven head.

"I know, son," she whispered. "I know. And I know it may not seem it right now, but…she can't live without you, either."

It was about an hour before dawn when she attempted to coax him inside and back to bed, but her grandson-in-law insisted on staying out for a little while longer to gather his thoughts. Hesitant to do so but respectful of his wishes, she pressed another kiss to the top of his head before turning and retreating back towards the stairway that led down the temple tower back towards the house. When she rounded the corner to begin descending the smooth stone stairs, what she found stopped her dead in her tracks.

Her granddaughter was seated on the top step, gazing up at Kanna with watery blue eyes, tear tracks staining her cocoa cheeks, which were puffy and red. She hugged her knees to her chest timidly, not unlike a little girl. There was a long silence where they simply looked at each other, and Kanna knew without even asking that Katara had heard every single word of her and Aang's exchange. With a sigh of empathy, she knelt down before her granddaughter and took her face in her warm, wrinkled hands, rubbing away the tear stains with her thumbs.

"Fix this," she whispered.

Then, without another word, she pressed a kiss to Katara's forehead, straightened, and headed down the stairs and out of sight. Katara watched her go, her heart slamming against her ribcage, but despite her terror, she knew she could not back out of what she'd come up here to do. She'd had enough of fear, enough of silence. She'd had enough of living without the man she loved.

Standing on trembling legs, she wiped her eyes and rounded the corner, releasing a pained whimper at Aang's defeated seat on the edge of his slotted wooden chair, where he always liked to come to observe the heavens at night when he couldn't sleep. Terrified but determined, she approached him, taking in the sight of his shaking shoulders, and stepped around in front of him, barefoot and vulnerable and wide open for the first time in she could not remember how long.

Aang's eyes fixed on her feet as they filled his line of vision, and he looked up with a small gasp, his anguish carved into every single line of his handsome, chiseled features. Even in his misery, he was so beautiful she found her heart swelling just to look at him. She lowered down onto her shaking knees and, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, reached out to frame his face in her hands, skating her fingertips over his tears. Though her own, she could see Aang react with shock and unwanted hope.

"Am I driving you away?"

The question visibly startled him. Rather than answer it, however, he countered with a question of his own.

"Do you want to drive me away, Katara?" His voice was thick and raspy with emotion. She immediately felt herself shake her head, her lower lip trembling, and clasped both of his hands in hers, kissing them tenderly.

"Aang…I need you. _I love you_. I don't know what's wrong with me."

He released a moaning whimper at the words "I love you," and she knew that he had been so afraid of never hearing them again. He reached out to tenderly stroke her hair, and she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, drinking it up as though she were parched.

"I love you too, Katara," he whispered. "More than anything. But…I don't know what you want anymore."

"I want you!" Katara proclaimed immediately, clutching his hand tighter, more desperately. "I know I haven't been good at showing it lately. But that is honestly the only thing I know for sure these days." The more she spoke, Katara found, the easier the words were coming out. Finally confronting the elephant-hippo that had sat in the room for the past four months was an incredibly odd feeling – terrifying yet liberating all the same.

Aang nodded, leaning forward and pressing his forehead to hers. She cupped his face, stroking the coarse hair of his beard tenderly. "I feel the same," he whispered.

"Then…then how do we fix what's wrong between us?" she asked tearfully.

"I…I don't know," Aang confessed. "I've tried to get close to you, Katara. I've tried to help, but you keep pushing me away."

"I…I know that," she conceded mournfully, "I don't know why it happens, I just do. I push you away when all I really want is to pull you close and never let go. I can't explain what's happening to me. Nothing makes sense."

"Is that because you're hurting still…you know…about the baby?"

And there it was. Finally. The subject that they'd spent weeks, months avoiding. Swallowing back her shame, Katara jerked a nod.

"I've experienced loss before," she admitted. "I've felt that pain before and I've dealt with it. I lost my mom and, for a brief time, I lost you. But I've never felt anything like this. There's this hollow place inside of me…like something died and I don't know how to get that part of myself back."

He nodded, the question he was truly dying to ask burning, bubbling against his lips. He desperately feared her reaction or what the answer could mean, but he knew that they'd come too far, opened up too much already in this much-needed conversation for them to turn back now. Putting his faith on the line, he swallowed hard.

"Do you really blame me?" His whisper was agonized, even to his own ears.

Katara looked away, guilt lacerating her insides with merciless lashes, whisking away fresh tears as she did.

"I don't know."

"You…don't know?"

Katara recoiled a bit, the hurt in his tone like a knife through her gut. "Aang, you're the Avatar. There is no one in the world more powerful than you. I've seen you do incredible things…things no one, no _Avatar_ has ever done before you. You restore hope and peace and balance when it almost seems impossible to do so, and yet even with all the cosmic energy in the world at your command you couldn't…"

"I couldn't bring our baby back," he concluded for her quietly, "Is that what you're saying?"

She hung her head, never having felt more ashamed in her life. "I know I'm not being fair to you."

"But you're being honest, Katara, and that's all I really wanted. For you to be honest with me."

"I don't mean to sound so hateful." She dropped her face into her hands. Aang immediately reached out to peel them from her beautiful face, unwilling to watch her blame herself any further.

"You don't sound hateful. You sound like a woman who is grieving and, unfortunately, has a husband who has been too selfish and self-involved to give you the patience and understanding you needed to work through your pain. I'm sorry I failed you, Katara."

"Don't say that. You didn't fail me, Aang. I haven't been the easiest person to be around lately and I don't blame you for running away. I probably would have too."

"No, you wouldn't," he argued, "and that's why you're a better person than me…and that's why I'm so lucky to have you as my wife."

"You can say that even after I've been such a pain in the neck lately?"

"I'll say that for the rest of my life," he promised fervently.

And then she did something that he never expected her to do – she smiled. It was bittersweet, and it was uncertain, but it was one nonetheless. He cupped her cheek, and it was as if a huge weight were lifted off of his chest when he managed one back. Suddenly, the air was easier to breathe than it had been in weeks, his heart just a little lighter, his head just a little clearer.

"Are we going to be okay now, Aang?" Katara queried timidly. Aang nodded.

"I want us to be," he replied hoarsely.

"Good," Katara whispered back. "So do I." Framing his face once again in her hands, she rose up further on her knees to press her lips gently against his.

It was as if all the oxygen fled from his lungs, and oh, the taste of her. The warmth of her mouth, her smell, the feel of her hair in his fingers as he kissed her back, all of it overwhelmed his senses in a cascading, billowing rush. Suddenly, he felt as though he would die if he had to stop kissing her.

So he didn't.

They kissed as they stood together to head back inside, then more again as they descended the winding stairwell that led back downstairs. Then again at the foot of the temple tower, and again on the path joining the temple to the house. Each one getting longer and longer, deeper and deeper, growing with intensity with every second passing. At the threshold of their front door, he slipped his hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head, and he felt the tiniest brush of her tongue against his lips, and it was as if a floodgate opened then. Tongues meshed together, tasting each other thoroughly and deeply, savoring each other's lips as though they were starving for it. They pressed closer and closer, desperate and yearning, as they made their way back to their bedroom, falling into the bed together, wrapping themselves up in each other to kiss yet more, yet longer, yet deeper. Quiet whispers and loving words accompanied soft kisses peppered down the throat, over the ridge of cheeks, the side of the nose, the forehead, the eyes – any and everywhere each one could reach.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that, lying face to face, legs and arms intertwined, kissing until their lips and faces were swollen and flushed, clinging to each other like lovers on a sinking ship. But as the sun began to rise over Air Temple Island, staining the sky with vibrant reds and pinks, yellows and oranges and purples, both knew that it wasn't just a new day that was beginning again.

So were they.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So SR240, you may be saying. You rated this story M. You promised us some good M-ness. What gives?**

**Ask no more, friends. Ask no more.**

**Chapter 9 – **_**Thirteen Weeks After**_

Aang was nervous.

He knew that,logically speaking, it was stupid to be nervous, but he couldn't help it. And given the past few months, he mused to himself internally, he supposed it made a bit more sense than it otherwise would have. But still. This was his wife. His best friend of 18 years. The mother of his children and the person to whom he was, without question, the closest in the world. Who knew him as well as she knew herself, who had seen him at his absolute best and at his sometimes mortifying worst. The person who, the last few months excluded, he had always felt 100% comfortable and at ease with and around.

And yet here he was, his heart beating at a rapid-fire pace as he watched her grind up the hay, corn and vegetables for the sky bisons' breakfast. He drew the big, soft-bristled brush down Appa's flank in a distracted sort of caress, but his eyes bore squarely into the back of Katara's long, dark hair, plaited in a loose braid over one shoulder. Just as his gaze was beginning to turn borderline hypnotic, she chose that exact moment to turn around and rise to her feet to reward him with a warm, loving smile that reached all the way up to her eyes.

Aang instantly felt himself turn to goo. His knees buckled at the pure love and light emanating from her beautiful face and he instinctively reached out to grip onto Appa to keep himself steady. She chirped a small laugh at his besotted expression.

"You're staring," she remarked shyly, her cheeks tingeing with just the slightest dusting of pink. He swallowed audibly, and she couldn't help but delight in the answering flush that spread over his perfectly formed cheekbones.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I couldn't help it."

There was an awkward silence. Which seemed odd to both of them, given their years of history and intimacy, but at the same time it made sense; after all, since their night lying in each other's arms not even a full week before, spending the whole time seemingly kissing the wounds of the past few months closed, creating metaphorical stitches with each brush of lips, it was as if they were starting over. Slowly, tentatively…not unlike two new lovers just beginning to get acquainted with one another at the start of a blossoming romance. They grinned at each other like two teenagers, not quite sure of what to do or say next. True to her nature, Katara broke the ice.

"Something on your mind, sweetie?"

Aang gulped, clutching the brush against Appa's flank a bit tighter. As he brushed, he hit a particularly tight snag in the pristine white fur, resulting in the shaggy beast's sudden jolt and snuffled grunt of displeasure. "Sorry, buddy," Aang murmured, softening his touch, beginning to gently work at the snarls with his fingers. He smiled shyly at Katara as he did so.

"Actually…yeah, there is."

She lifted her eyebrows in curiosity, clutching the basket of hay and vegetables a bit closer to her body. "And what would that be?"

"I, uh…I was wondering if…" He trailed off, feeling very shy and insecure all of a sudden. _This is ridiculous_, he told himself fiercely. _It's Katara! You've been married for 12 years, for crying out loud! This should not be that difficult!_

She stood there, looking at him with those amazing blue eyes, sparkling with such love and even a little amusement, and decided the "ripping off a bandage" method was the best approach.

"Do you want to do something tonight?"

He said the words very fast, so quickly that one not so close to him might not have been able to understand. Katara, however, heard every word quite clearly. Her grin was so big that if he didn't know better he would've sworn it was painted on. But it wasn't. It was her natural beauty, and his heart swelled with adoration for her.

"'Do an activity together,' you mean?" Her voice was tight with laughter. Aang laughed in return at the reference, ducking his head sheepishly before nodding.

"Exactly. Do an activity together."

She giggled, and Aang was certain it was the best sound in the world. There were few things Aang loved more than hearing Katara laugh (especially when he was the one causing it) and she had done far, far too little of it in recent weeks. He actually breathed a small sigh of relief before she spoke again.

"So…like…a date?" She was positively bashful at this point. Aang nodded blushingly again.

"Yeah. Exactly like that." His countenance was not unlike a teenager asking his longtime crush to a dance. His cheeks were completely red, his grin stupidly wide, and with those last words he even looked down at his feet, drawing his toe in the dirt of the stable floor. Nothing had ever been so adorable and Katara was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him.

So she did. She placed down her basket, closed the distance between them and framed his face in her hands, leaning up to brush his lips in a soft kiss. He released a little moan, his hands hesitantly hovering above her hips before he dared to place them around her middle, pulling her closer. When they broke apart, Katara was gazing up at him with unconcealed, unparalleled love.

"I would love to, Avatar Aang."

* * *

"Wow."

Katara laughed openly, but she couldn't fight the impulse to squirm self-consciously. Her husband looked as though he'd just been kicked in the head by a goat-bull. His eyes wide and feasting, he hungrily drank in the sight of her, dressed in a light, summery periwinkle blue dress with thin straps and a matching wrap. Her hair, which she often pinned into a messy bun at the nape of her neck while dealing with the kids and chores all day long, was lose and long, only a small part held up with a white flower. Long silver earrings dangled from her ears, matching the silver pendant of her necklace. Her makeup was still light and hardly noticeable, something Aang had always loved about her – she never needed it anyway, in his opinion. Her natural beauty was so exquisite it was unnecessary.

He must've been staring a little too long, a little too intensely, because she turned quite red under his gaze. She wrapped her arms protectively around her middle, not unlike a young girl, but her grin was wide and infectious.

"So I take it you like it?"

He swallowed hard past the tension in his throat. "You…I…you really…_wow_."

_Nice. Smooth, Aang. Real smooth._

She loosed a tinkering laugh, her eyes shining with amusement. "Still with that way with words, I see. Are you going to windblow my hair again?" Aang winced sheepishly, remembering all too well the night of their very first date almost 17 years prior – which had been, by all outside accounts, a total disaster for the most part but had ended on a very, very hopeful note. He laughed at the memory.

"I might. But I promise I won't let myself get pulled 90 different directions by 700 different people and leave you alone," he vowed. Katara laughed in turn, crossing over to him and, after a moment of hedging, slipped her hands around his waist. If it were possible, Aang's grin grew even more. They were still getting used to reacquainting themselves with the idea of physical intimacy, after so many months of distance and hurt, but he was okay with being patient. The last week alone, sharing their bed every night and holding her and talking to her and kissing her until they fell asleep, had already been such a luxury, such a beautiful gift, he was willing to content himself with it for now.

She pressed a quick, soft kiss to his lips, her smile slightly mischievous. "Well, you better see to it that you don't," she teased.

His teasing retort was unceremoniously interrupted by Kya bouncing into their bedroom, huffed up in obvious discontent. Her pretty features were twisted with annoyance and aggravation.

"Mom, Dad, Bumi won't stop – " She froze halfway through her rant, stopping short. Instantly, the exasperation melted from her face and her gray eyes flared wide. "Wow! Mom, you look really pretty!"

Katara couldn't help but laugh, both at Kya's enthusiasm and her child-like ability to switch moods at the drop of a hat. "Thank you, sweetie," she replied as her daughter ran to her side, examining the fabric. Katara smoothed her hand over her hair, reveling in her daughter's touch.

"This is such a cool dress! Did you make this? What did you use? Oh Mom, can I have a dress like this? Can I? It's so pretty!"

Aang couldn't help but snicker as Katara framed Kya's face in her hands and pressed a kiss into the crown of her head. "I'll tell you what," she promised. "When you're old enough to go out with boys –"

" – which won't be for a very, very, very long time!" Aang interjected, slight panic in his voice. Katara good-naturedly rolled her eyes at him.

" – we'll find you a dress like this. Or I'll make you one. Deal?"

Kya crinkled her nose as her parents headed out into the hallway, directing her with them towards the living room, where Bumi was absolutely determined to get Tenzin to crawl. "Boys are dumb. Why do I have to wait for that? I would just wear this to the market or something!" Suddenly, her expression changed to one of confusion. "Wait, are you going out with a boy?"

"Come on Tenzin, it's easy! You just walk around on your hands and knees like this!" Bumi chirped, demonstrating to the infant who simply lay there on his belly, looking at him blankly.

This time both she and Aang laughed, returning their attention to their daughter. "In a manner of speaking. Your daddy is taking me out tonight." She smiled up at Aang warmly, and he felt his stomach dip.

"You'll both be gone? Is Gran-Gran going to stay with us, then?"

"Gran-Gran has the night off, sweetie. You three are going to head over to Uncle Sokka's."

Kya's face lit up hopefully. "Are we staying over?" Katara nodded in affirmation.

"Indeed you are, kiddo. Dad and I will pick you up tomorrow morning. As a matter of fact, Aunt Suki should be here to get you any sec –"

She was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Kya bounded into the foyer, flinging it open to find Suki there, balancing Nilak on her hip.

"Aunt Suki! Mom and Dad just told us we're coming over tonight!" Suki laughed at the girl's excitement.

"You sure are, honey. You're going to come play with your cousins while your mom and dad have some alone time," she teased, throwing a positively wolfish grin in the couple's direction. Both Aang and Katara blushed in response. Kya grimaced.

"Ew, Aunt Suki! Is that why they're going out? To have oogies?"

"Oogies!" Bumi piped up nonsensically. He was too young to know what "oogies" actually meant, but ever since learning it from his uncle and sister, it had quickly become one of his absolute favorite words. Kya shuddered.

"Gross."

Suki ruffled her hair. "Go pack an overnight bag for you and your brother and we'll get out of here ASAP so you don't have to witness it, okay?"

Kya seemed completely content with that agreement, trotting down the hall towards the bedrooms. Suki turned to Aang and Katara, hoisting Nilak more securely on her hip. The baby cooed, absently playing with his mother's necklace and attempting to grab a fistful of her bright auburn hair.

"So what do you two have planned?" she asked, her knowing smirk downright cheeky. Katara rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for spirits' sake, Suki! We're just going out to dinner and then to the Spring Flower festival they're doing this week in the city. There's some really good performances tonight by this Northern Water Tribe group that's been on tour around the Earth Kingdom for a while that I would _love_ to see."

"And we all know how I feel about flowers," Aang joked.

"We do indeed," Suki acquiesced. "Well, don't you two worry about a thing. The boys are so excited they're coming. Dinner's waiting for when we get home, so we'll feed them and take them out back."

"Are you sure you're okay with Tenzin?" Katara asked uncertainly. "You already have one newborn, I feel kind of bad saddling you with another one."

Suki waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, please. Your brother has two perfectly good hands as well. Besides, considering you seem to have packed enough supplies for him to last a week," she gestured towards the duffle bag seated on the chair by the doorway, "I think I'll be all set."

"Thanks, Suki," Aang said appreciatively. "You're the greatest. We'll be by tomorrow before lunch to pick them up."

Suki's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Unless you…shall we say, lose track of time." Before they had a chance to mumble back an embarrassed reply, Kya came bolting back into the room, a red overnight bag slung over her shoulder, clearly ready to go.

"Come on, Bumi! We're going to Uncle Sokka's! Hold this so I can carry Tenzin," she delivered bossily. Bumi heaved a woeful sigh, having finally given up on his mission to get Tenzin to crawl, at least for the evening. As Suki gathered the kids and began to shuffle them out the door amidst goodbye kisses and hugs from their parents, she threw a smile over her shoulder back at the bashful couple.

"Have fun tonight, you two." Her sing-song tone was impossible to misinterpret. "And I mean it. _Have fun_."

* * *

The water looped and arched elegantly through the air like silver ribbons, dancing in a fashion that reminded Aang somewhat of his and Zuko's adrenaline-inducing rendez-vous with Ran and Sha atop the mountain of the Sun Warriors. As the performers bended the water with expert precision to the tune of music as melodious and fluid at the element itself, he and Katara watched transfixed among the crowd. Almost absently, as if it were second nature, he felt his arms slip around her waist from behind, the lean wall of his chest pressing into her back. Right after noticing, however, he stilled, wondering if this familiar closeness was too much, too soon for his wife.

If it was, she certainly didn't show it. She responded immediately by anchoring his forearms around her waist with a contented sigh, nestling deeper back into his embrace. Encouraged by her reaction, he dropped a soft kiss to the top of her head. She favored him with an arch smile, looking happier than he'd seen her in months, and this time, instead of fighting the hope back down, he allowed it to bloom unrestrained in his heart.

They'd begun the evening with dinner at their favorite restaurant in Republic City just as the sun was setting. They had gone there many times over the years, but tonight it felt very much as though it was their first time. Both Katara and Aang had been a little anxious as Aang had pulled out the chair across from his own to invite her to sit – it had been a very, very long time since they'd spent any real time together to talk, even if that talking wasn't about anything important. It was understandable that they both harbored a sizeable fear about looking across the elegant place settings and finding they couldn't think of anything to say to break the ice. As it turned out, however, there was no need to worry.

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the two of them that "heavy" talk – of their only recently-begun repairing of their marital woes or of the miscarriage – was to be tabled for the evening. This was an evening to relax and enjoy one another's company for the first time in months, to feel happy to be together, to have fun with one another on a personal level. And, truthfully, to catch up on recent events in each other's lives outside of their relationship with one another, given the communication freeze that had dominated their home for so long.

So they talked. And they ate. And when they were done eating, they talked some more. They drank Katara's favorite wine, and laughed over her funny stories of home life, from Bumi's determined mission to get Tenzin to crawl as soon as possible to Kya's take-charge bossiness which had skyrocketed since his arrival. They shared dessert and talked about reconnecting with Toph, with both agreeing that having her over for dinner needed to happen very soon given that she was coming back from maternity the following week. Aang was shocked at how remarkably free of tension the air was between them; while it was clear that many issues still needed to be discussed, that knowledge seemed to no longer be a source of stress or strain – rather, a simple understanding that they would take their time to work through the remaining obstacles that lay ahead while simply enjoying being together tonight.

After dinner, they'd wandered the streets of Republic City, which were swarming with crowds of people headed to the Flower Festival in Republic City Park. Upon arrival, the conversation between them immediately ceased as they took in the pristine, breathtaking surroundings.

The Festival had spared no expense in creating the event. The entire park was lit up brightly with lanterns and torches, creating a warm, hazy glow down the paths and around the lakes. Children laughed and played along the shores of the water as thousands and thousands of bright, colorful floral creations dotted the landscape like an impressionist painting, their colors even more brightly accentuated by the lighting. Artists and performers handed out jewelry and crafts beautifully created with petals and stems, and the smell of baked and fried goods wafted gently through the warm late-Spring air which tempted both with a sort of beckoning allure despite the fact they'd just eaten. Stages were set up in several different locales for performers from all four bending nations – while the Air Acolytes technically couldn't airbend in their show, they'd learned enough about classic Air Nation dances and ritual to put together a spectacular routine.

It didn't take them long to wind up at the venue for the Northern Water Tribe Tandem Dance performance, where at that moment the benders were finishing their show with a grand flourish of light explosion, advanced bending moves and mesmerizing dance choreography clearly inspired by a mix of the martial arts. Upon conclusion, the crowd seemed to erupt like a volcano with cheers, applause and cries of approval. The smile on Katara's face very nearly sucked all the breath from Aang's lungs – while he knew she had always loved their life in Republic City, his wife would always be, at her core, a child of the Water Tribe, and celebrating in her traditions continued to be a source of true comfort for her. He chuckled and squeezed her around her middle a little tighter.

"You liked that, huh?"

She sighed happily, turning to face him. "It was wonderful. That was some of the most sophisticated bending I think I've ever seen! That thing they did with the big ice disks," she blew out an impressed breath. "Incredible." Her eyes were luminous as she smiled up at him, rubbing her hands down his shoulders. "Thank you so much for bringing me here tonight. It's beautiful."

He pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. "You're welcome, Katara. I'd do anything to make you happy."

The words, while well-intentioned, sank like a rock in Katara's gut. She was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt, very nearly wincing at the recent memories of all the ways he'd tried to make her happy and all the ways she'd refused to let him. Shame burned in her throat, but she immediately stopped herself, swallowing it back down. _No, Katara_, she enforced firmly. _No. Not tonight_.

Instead, she smiled at him even wider, before leaning in and pressing her cheek to his chest. "I know you would, Aang."

He practically beamed in response, and as the crowd began to dissipate, they began to saunter down the paths to take in the rest of the displays, stopping every so often to examine a craft or hair accessory weaved with daffodils or roses or fire lilies. Aang laughed as he fingered a head wreath of daisies, tossing an amused glance over his shoulder at Katara. "Remind you of anything?" he asked, holding the object up and letting it dangle from his grasp tauntingly.

Katara instantly burst out laughing, throwing her head back. "Too bad we don't have Chong here to sing to us with his ukulele."

"Or Appa, to braid it into his hair."

"Or _Sokka_, to braid it into _his_ hair."

"Ooooooh," Aang laughed. "Good luck with that. He'd fight you tooth and claw."

"It'd be fine. I have you to hold him down. All I'd need is a few seconds, anyway." She giggled, and to hear her joking again, laughing again, teasing again was so overwhelmingly beautiful he couldn't resist reaching out for her hand. His fingers slipped into hers, and her cheeks flushed pink, but she didn't pull away. Rather, as they continued to wander the paths, her grip on his hand tightened. He felt his heartbeat accelerate a bit, which was ridiculous considering he'd been holding this woman's hand for almost 18 years, but at that point he was far too smitten to care. They exchanged shy glances as they moseyed along, simply enjoying being together and being happy for the first time in far too long.

When they finally reached the back exit of Republic City Park, which led down to the beaches along Yue Bay, stars dotted the night sky in a brilliant myriad of twinkling lights which reminded Katara of the lanterns dotting the pathways of the flower festival. Hands still linked, they descended down onto the beach, Katara accepting Aang's invitation to walk along the water gratefully. They both kicked off their shoes, delighting in the feel of the cold grains between their toes as they made their way to the water's edge, walking in just deep enough for the warm water to lap around their ankles.

"It really is beautiful out. You picked the perfect night for this, sweetie," Katara commented, gazing up at the clear indigo sky. Aang grinned, squeezing her hand.

"Did you have fun?"

"I did," she sighed happily, taking advantage of the moment to nuzzle her cheek against his shoulder. "I…I've missed this."

There was a thick silence, where both wondered if they were treading too close to the "heavy talk" category, but Aang decided at that moment he didn't care. Besides, something about the situation felt safe, so he didn't hold it in.

"I missed it too, sweetie," he whispered, stopping so that they were facing each other. Katara smiled sadly, resting her hands on his chest.

"I…I want to do this regularly again. Like we used to. Can we, sweetie? Just…take time out to spend time together?"

Aang took both of her hands in his, bringing them to his lips. "Of course we can, Katara," he replied, his voice hoarse with emotion. They smiled at each other in affectionate silence for a moment before Aang suddenly seemed to remember something.

"I have something for you," he confessed. Katara angled a curious glance up at him.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Well, I mean, it's not much, but while you were trying that Rose Pomegranate water they were handing out I saw it and I just…couldn't resist." He reached into the side of his tunic, pulling out a single, azure-colored long stem calla-rose, a very rare bloom not easily found locally. "Let me tell you something, keeping those thorns from poking me in the side the past hour hasn't been a picnic," he teased.

Katara felt her knees turn to butter. Her lower lip trembling, she reached out to take the flower with trembling fingers. She tried desperately to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes, but knew almost instantly the effort was in vain. Fingering the soft petals, she brought them to her nose to inhale its sweet scent. She found she couldn't speak past the lump lodged in her throat, so she simply turned her adoring gaze up at her husband, her shimmering eyes touched beyond words. Aang ducked his head sheepishly.

"It's the exact color of your eyes." He paused, blushing a bit. "That sounded totally cheesy. I'm sorry. I'm a bit out of prac-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because suddenly, Katara was kissing him. Almost instantly, however, Aang could tell that this was a very, very different kiss than any they'd shared since their reconciliation on the rooftop a few days before. Those kisses, while varying in intensity and length, had had more of a sort of healing, gentle quality to them. They were shared out of a desperate desire to reconnect, to repair, to mend, but any thoughts of further sexual intimacy hadn't really even been on the radar. This kiss, however…there was nothing gentle about it.

She pressed her body flush against his, her breasts squeezed tightly against his chest, her hands wandering up from his waist to his back and then gripping desperately into the fabric of his wrap. She downright aggressively pushed her hips against his, eliciting a shocked and delighted gasp from her husband, who could not help but respond enthusiastically to her advances. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing himself back against her with equal fervor, coaxing her lips open with his tongue to sweep the interior of her mouth with hungry need. His fingers bunched into her hair, drawing a little moan from her lips, and her body was so soft and warm and felt so good that there was no way to avoid his erection cresting against her upper thigh. Suddenly, his whole body throbbed and ached, his hands shaking as they gripped her waist, both of their eyes glassy and their faces flushed when they broke apart. Katara surveyed him with a heavy-lidded, intoxicated expression.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered, her tone husky and full of want. Aang grinned.

"Do you make a habit of bringing home strange men after just one night?" he teased. She giggled, and nothing in the world had ever sounded so wonderful to his ears. She gently framed his face in her hands, smiling up at him with shimmering blue eyes. Her touch was so intoxicating, so soothing, like a balm for the wounds his soul had endured the past few months. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes as he pressed a kiss against her fingertips. She lifted up onto her toes to press a gentle kiss in turn across the tip of his arrow, then over his eyelids, and finally, a soft, lingering one against his mouth.

"No," she whispered again. "Just you. Only you. Always."

His throat instantly closing with emotion, Aang could only offer her a teary smile before capturing her lips with his once again. He wrapped his arms securely around her, pulling her flush against his body as he deepened the kiss, tasting her thoroughly, one hand at the small of her back and the other plunging back into her long, dark hair, knocking the white flower from its pinned place. She moaned again into his mouth, louder this time, her small fingers gently stroking along his coarse beard, and it was as if in that moment something broken inside of both of them pieced itself back together permanently.

The way home was made complicated by the fact that their mouths didn't seem to want to spend even a second apart from each other. Every five steps stumbled laughingly through the streets of Republic City towards the waterfront resulted in one grabbing the other and pulling him or her into yet another kiss. They laughed and tugged each other along giggling like two teenagers, oblivious to the amused smirks of passerbys as they savored each other's mouths again and again, pressing closer and closer with each time. As far as Aang was concerned, however, no one else in the world even existed besides Katara. Every single one of his senses was drowning in her – her scent, her warmth, her taste. She was everywhere, invading every part of him. The sensation was not unlike taking that first, wonderful breath of air after having been trapped underwater for just a bit too long and being right on the cusp of panicking – only instead of sweet oxygen filling his empty lungs, it was his beloved wife, refilling his heart.

Desperate to get home as fast as possible, it was decided that waiting for the ferry, which wouldn't come for another 20 minutes and took 10 more to cross Yue Bay, wasn't an option. The two opted rather to bend themselves across the bay, a feat that could be accomplished in 5 minutes by any waterbender with even a modicum of skill. They, however, were the Avatar and his waterbending master.

They got to Air Temple Island in 2 and half minutes.

The stumbled up the stone steps to the back door of the house, Katara pressing frantic kisses to Aang's face as he fumbled behind her for the latch to the sliding bamboo entrance. Finally, it gave way and they staggered into the house, kissing fiercely as though they were starving for one another – because in many ways, they had been. Aang walked her back against the wall, his hands sliding up to cup her face as he sipped at her lips, murmuring her name with each gentle foray his tongue took into her mouth.

"Katara," he whispered desperately, the tips of his fingers ghosting over her cheeks, eyes and hair. "Katara. Katara." Each kiss was a prayer on his lips, a blessing that she gratefully received. She whimpered his name in turn, her own gentle hands sliding from his face, down his back to his waist, pulling him tight against her as she could, feeling his arousal pressing warmly against her upper thigh. They both gasped with the sensation, Aang dropping his forehead against her shoulder as he fisted his fingers into her hair.

"Katara," he moaned again, his breath ragged, hoarse. A small part of him was afraid that this was all a dream, that he would wake up and be back to where they'd been for so many weeks. Surely, this was too good to be true. But Katara's pleasured gasp startled him out of his fearful reverie.

"Aang," she whimpered, pressing kisses to his temple, his ear. Her breast heaved against his chest with each inhale she gasped, and suddenly he was sinking to his knees before her, pressing a single kiss into the soft swell of her bosom before taking hold of her hips in his hands and gazing up at her with watery gray eyes. She felt her own sting with unshed tears as she gently cradled his head against her. He groaned, burying his face into her body, wrapping his arms around her middle.

"Katara," he murmured yet again, another benediction. "Oh, Katara. I've missed you. I've missed you so much." Despite being muffled against her belly, his thick tone could not be mistaken. Her legs trembled almost violently, and if it weren't for Aang holding her up at that very moment, she was sure she would have collapsed.

"Aang," she breathed shakily, taking hold of his face once again and directing his gaze up to her. In that moment, it was almost as if he were gazing upon a goddess, or some other unearthly, divine creature. The downright worship in his eyes nearly knocked the wind out of her, and it was as if something dead inside her suddenly was brought back to life. He had always looked at her like that, since the day they met, but she had been buried too deeply inside her own head recently to remember it. A surge of emotion washed over her, and she could not recall ever feeling so full of both power and humility at the same time.

"Make love to me," she whispered around the lump in her throat. "Please, baby. I need you. Please, make love to –"

She hadn't even fully finished the sentence before he was on his feet again, kissing her as deeply as possible, and she tugged him with her as she staggered back towards their bedroom, into the hallway. Wetness and heat pooled between her thighs and she could already practically feel his hard, long length buried deeply inside her, thrusting quickly and deeply, filling her up in the way only he could while he rained kisses on her skin, biting at her soft neck and penetrating it with his teeth while wrapping his arms so tightly around her she felt lightheaded from the pressure on her ribs. She pressed her thigh harder against his erection, grinding against the stiff, warmth length of it, and he moaned loudly into her mouth, reaching into her dress to cup her breast with his strong, large hand. Katara gasped against his mouth as he rubbed his thumb over the peak of one turgid nipple, groaning at the sensation, arching into his hand. She clutched at his head, moving her mouth right around to his ear.

"Please, Aang," she half whined, half begged. "I want you inside me. Please, I need you to –"

He was already reaching down to pick her up and carry her into their bedroom, moaning her name against her neck, his other hand moving under her skirt and up her thigh to explore the hot wetness between her legs. He was a mere centimeter from her entrance, his fingers just barely skating across her already-moist panties, when the door at the end of the hallway swung open.

"Oh, thank the spirits you're home!" Kanna cried, stepping out into the corridor and holding Tenzin snugly against her hip. "He has a tummy bug and he's been throwing up for the past hour and a half. I picked him up from Sokka and Suki's earlier this evening and calmed him down, but he's been wanting his par-"

She stopped short as she fully assimilated the sight of her granddaughter and grandson-in-law wrapped so tightly in each other's arms that if it hadn't been for the difference in skin tone she would not have been able to discern whose hands were whose, eyes glassy, lips swollen and hair and clothing completely disheveled. She felt a strong urge to laugh at the dark smears of lipstick streaked across Aang's pale cheeks, but bit it down forcefully. Aang and Katara met her cerulean gaze with mounting mortification as the older woman stared at them in shock. Aang suddenly had the afterthought to snatch his hand back from between Katara's legs, feeling his face heat with the force of a thousand fireblasts. Finally, after a good 10 seconds of excruciating silence, Kanna spoke.

"…or, I could just take care of it myself," she said, with as much dignity as she could dig up. A sly smile spread across her face that caused both Katara and Aang's faces to bloom with horrified color. "Nevermind then. I'll handle this. You two…erm…carry on with whatever it is you were –"

But it was too late. Tenzin had realized by then that his parents were present and instantly began to whimper, reaching for them with his little chubby hands in a clear search for comfort. All efforts by Kanna to redirect his focus fell on deaf ears. The infant was sick, tired, and wanted only his mother and father. Period.

Aang and Katara tipped a despondent glance at one another before each heaving a sigh of concession and straightening against the wall. Smoothing down her hair, Katara stepped forward to take the little boy into her arms, who almost instantly stopped fussing at her touch and snuggled into her embrace. As she tucked him into her body, she tried desperately to focus on the baby's struggle in hopes that maternal worry would somehow quell the horrible ache throbbing between her legs. So far it was no good, but she managed to soothe her son nonetheless.

"What's a matter, sweetie? Is my baby not feeling okay?" She brushed soft kisses over the top of his downy head as Tenzin continued to whimper. She felt Aang come up beside them, smoothing a gentle hand up and down the boy's back as she touched her cheek to his forehead. Her brow furrowed. "Uh oh, someone's got a fever. Shhhhh, it's okay, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy are here." She glanced up again at Kanna, and she knew that both her and Aang's hot blushes hadn't diminished in the slightest. "Thanks, Gran-Gran. You get some rest. Aang and I can…uh, take it from here."

Kanna looked at them remorsefully, and the pity in her eyes was enough to make Katara ready to explode with mortification. "Are you sure?" the older woman asked, looking fervidly between Aang and Katara. "I…I could probably handle him for a bit if you two need to – uh, I mean, if there are other things that you, um…I…"

There were indeed "other things," but nonetheless, Aang cleared his throat, trying to will his throbbing arousal into submission by focusing on his child. He could still feel Katara pressed against him, the warmth of her body, the soft mounds of her breasts against his chest, the feel of her hair in his hands and the taste of her kisses and the memories left him lightheaded and shaken. He swallowed hard, stamping down his frustration before smiling at Kanna. "It's okay, Kanna. He needs us. Thanks for holding everything down until we got home."

Kanna nodded hesitantly and headed back towards her room. Before she closed the door behind her, however, she could resist glancing one final time back over her shoulder.

"I'm _so_ sorry." She winced.

"Goodnight, Gran-Gran," Katara squeaked meekly. Kanna stepped inside and closed the door behind her. After a heavy moment of silence, she slowly turned back to her quite obviously uncomfortable husband.

"Well," she laughed shakily. Aang groaned, hanging his head.

"Yeah."

"I, uh…I guess we need to handle this, then," she choked out gruffly. Aang swallowed hard before jerking a nod.

"Yes, it appears we do." His eyes were so filled with downright physical pain that Katara couldn't help but feel terribly sorry for him. She was in a good amount of physical discomfort herself, but she knew it was very likely worse for him. She bit her lip sheepishly.

"We…need to finish that. Soon. Very, very soon." Her tone was blunt and to the point. Once again, Aang jerked a nod.

"Agreed." His voice was hoarse and throbbing. Katara favored him with a wane smile.

"I'm going to take his temperature and prepare an herbal remedy for him. Want to draw him a cool bath?"

Aang gave one final nod before turning on his heel, walking stiffly and painfully towards their bedroom. Katara furrowed her brow.

"Sweetie? Why are you heading in there? The bathtub is in the hall bathroom, not ours."

Aang froze for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was very, very choked.

"I know. Just…I kinda need to use the restroom for a minute." He threw a helpless glance over his shoulder, and while he knew he should've been bashful with that statement, he was in far too much pain to care. Katara immediately felt her face flush, but she couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter, both amused and, though she knew she shouldn't have been, a bit smug and self-satisfied.

"Don't take too long," she teased. Aang let out a shaky laugh, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"Oh, don't worry. This will be quick." Then, he couldn't resist winking at her, deciding right then and there that humor was most likely the best approach. "_Very quick_."

* * *

"I don't know, sweetie. I think we should take him."

Katara sighed, trying desperately hard not to show her exasperation with her husband, who had repeated several different variations of the exact same line at least twice an hour for the entire morning. Coaxing a squirming Tenzin's tiny mouth open so that she could spoon his medicine in, she responded. "Aang, honey, I've already told you. It's just a mild fever. There is absolutely no need to take him to the healing clinic to pay 3 other healers to tell you the exact same thing I'm telling you now. There's nothing we can do except keep him hydrated, give him his herbal and make sure he gets rest. Just like we always did with Kya and Bumi when they got tummy bugs."

"But sometimes mild fevers turn into big fevers if they go untreated!" Aang argued nervously. "And Kya and Bumi were older when they started getting bugs. He's only 6 months old, Katara. Big fevers can be deadly."

"Yes, they can. So we're lucky he doesn't _have_ a big fever," she repeated blithely, finally succeeding in getting the herbal onto the baby's tongue. "Aang, I'm a healer. He's totally fine with me. He does not need any more attention than I'm giving him."

"But he was throwing up –"

"He hasn't thrown up in nearly 10 hours. Trust me, this is getting better, not worse."

"But don't you think we should get a second opinion? Just to be sure?"

Pushed to the limits of her patience, Katara whirled around, an angry retort ready to explode forth from her lips. Suddenly, in that very second, that same, familiar rage that had dominated her interactions with him for so long was back with a cresting, pitching vengeance. She opened her mouth to snap at him, her countenance tense and spoiling for a fight, when her eyes met his and she suddenly froze.

_No._

_No, Katara. No._

She wasn't doing this. She was not going to allow herself to slip back into her old patterns, to give herself false reasons and excuses to resent him, to do anything that would undo all the progress that they'd begun to make. That was not how she was choosing to move forward, not how she was choosing to treat the man she loved. Not anymore.

She snapped her mouth shut, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, swallowed back the angry retort, and opened her eyes again. When her blue eyes collided with his worried gray ones, she smiled instead.

"Okay, I'll make you a deal. Let him stick with me today. If he's not better by tomorrow morning, we'll take him to the healing clinic. Can you live with that?"

Aang considered the bargain carefully, then finally smiled back, looking somewhat relieved. "Okay. I can live with that."

She favored him with another fond smile before scooping Tenzin up out of his chair to give him another cool bath, heading down towards the bathroom while Aang cleaned up. As she walked, she mused to herself, asking herself a rather important question.

_What's more important to you, Katara? Him, or being right?_

The answer was quite obvious.

**A/N Part Deux: Okay, so you hate my guts right now, and I so totally deserve it, but at least you got a little mini-smut to hold you for a bit, because here comes the bad news: we might be looking at 2 or so weeks before I update again. Move Day is in 3 days, and between flying across the country, getting to my new house and settling in, taking care of errands and going to Vancouver for a few days to visit friends, I don't foresee having a whole lot of time to crank out the next chapter before my first day of work at my new branch next Saturday. Once I'm back in a regular work routine, I promise pinky swear that I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thank you so much for being patient!**

**Oh, and, the reference of their first date comes from Limey's fan comic, "First Date" (which you need to read IMMEDIATELY if you haven't) and is also part of the DJNS headcanon, so I included it for continuity purposes. FYI.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Gentle readers! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE. My move is now complete and I am safely ensconced in my new home in Washington. I am still unpacking, but I am done with my traveling and have settled into a regular work schedule which has allowed me to at last find time to grind out the next chapter of this. After this, there are only 3 more chapters, and I hope to get them done by the end of this month and have this finished by the beginning of July. **

**Also, for those of you who were asking, alas, no smut this chapter, nor the next one I am afraid. ::wince:: Sorry. BUT, the final two chapters…well, let's just say they'll be worth waiting for. :-)**

**Onward! **

**Chapter 10 – **_**14 Weeks After**_

"I really don't know if I like the sound of that swishing."

Katara held the melon to her ear, shaking it gently, her brow furrowed as she pondered the juicy sloshing noises just beneath the hard, green shell. Behind the fruit stand, the grumpy old vendor frowned at her, arms crossed, posture defensive.

"Swishing means it's ripe! It's the ripe juices swishing around!"

Bumi tugged on her skirt, his gamin face blinking up at her innocently. "I think she's right, Mommy. Swishing means it's ripe." Katara smiled, smoothing back his soft black waves from his forehead as Kya bounded up next to them, her arms full of two whole buckets of moon peaches.

"Whoa, Kya!" Katara cried, eyes widening. "We do not need that many moon peaches. You can put back the second bucket." Kya pouted.

"But Mom, Appa loves these," she explained meaningfully. "And besides, since we need to get a new lemur –"

"Who ever said anything about getting a new lemur?" Katara queried, her eyebrows rising up to her hairline. Kya's answering steely gray glower was so reminiscent of her father's it sent chills up her spine.

"Appa's lonely," Kya stated flatly. "Ever since Momo died, he hasn't been the same. He needs a new friend. We just need to find him one, that's all! And when we do, he's going to love moon peaches just like Momo did."

"I miss Momo," Bumi quipped, to no one in particular. Katara sighed.

"I know you do, sweetie. We all do, but –"

"Dad misses Momo, too," Kya piped up.

Katara opened her mouth to reply to Kya's insistent proclamations, when suddenly another woman, who appeared to be around Katara's age, stepped up behind her daughter to examine the melons on the fruit stand as well. She was preoccupied, clearly focused on picking a good fruit and oblivious to Katara's penetrating stare, which was fixated now on the round slope of her belly. The woman caressed her abdomen in an absent-minded manner as she scrutinized the produce. It was clear she was late in her pregnancy, which was proven by the way she gave a sudden start and jumped a bit.

"Oh!" she yelped, then laughed, her eyes lifting to meet Katara's. "Sorry. It's been kicking like crazy lately! Always seems to be when I'm around food."

Katara felt her throat tighten, an ache burning from her upper chest down into her stomach. To her horror, tears began to well in her blue eyes against her will. She steadfastly tried to blink them away and forced a smile, attempting to keep her voice calm and free of shaking.

"When are you due?" The woman grinned.

"A month, give or take," she sighed happily. "I'm ready for it to be over, though. I want my body back. But mostly I just can't wait for it to get here. It's my first." She was positively glowing.

Katara felt as though she'd been kicked in the gut. Bumi was once again attempting to get Tenzin to crawl while Kya filled their basket with the freshly acquired merchandise, trying to keep the boys from going too crazy. Katara was deeply grateful for her presence, and for her children's seeming obliviousness to her sudden distress.

"That…that's great," Katara responded gruffly. "Congratulations." The woman smiled.

"I see you have three already," she remarked fondly. "Quite a handful! Plan to add on to that?"

The kick in the gut now became a kick in the chest. Katara was surprised she was even able to still speak. She knew the woman had no idea what exactly she was tapping into right at that moment, but that did nothing to ease the pain in the slightest. She had to swallow several times before she could answer.

"I don't know. I guess we'll see." Then, suddenly knowing that she needed to end the conversation immediately lest the situation turn terribly awkward for everyone involved, she stooped to pick up the remaining basket of goods. "Sorry, I have to run. Enjoy your shopping. Best of luck."

Without another word, she turned on her heel, reached for Kya's hand, and beat a hasty retreat with her and the boys.

* * *

Katara was very quiet on the way home.

The kids had run off immediately to play after helping her unload the groceries, leaving her in the kitchen to start dinner. That was where Aang found her as he ducked through the door, holding two sticks of bread and his face breaking into a smile as his gaze fell on her long, dark hair, flowing loosely over her shoulders.

"Hey, sweetie," he announced softly. "Kya just told me you already hit up the market but I'd already stopped for bread, so it looks like we'll have extra. What are you making?"

Silence.

Instantly, he was on high alert. He placed the bread on the table and anxiously peered around to try and get a glimpse of her face.

"Katara?"

She had stopped moving by then, gently placing her knife down on the cutting board and standing very, very still. His insides filled with dread as he crept up beside her. Her gaze was dropped. Very gently, he reached up to brush her hair back from her face. She didn't fight him, but his heart dropped down to his stomach when he saw her cheeks were wet with tears, her lower lip trembling. She seemed to be fighting the urge to completely melt down.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" he whispered.

With those tender words, it was as if a dam had burst. She turned into his arms with a gasping sob, burying her face into his chest and crying harsh, bitter tears. Stunned but recognizing that she needed to simply be held at the moment, Aang instantly tucked her into him as tightly as possible, stroking her back and hair as she wept, pressing kisses into the crown of her head. It was a long moment before the storm finally passed and her sobs were reduced to hiccups. He delicately cupped her cheek, lifting her blue gaze to his.

"What happened?" he prodded softly.

It took quite a while for Katara to gather herself together enough to respond. She looked up into his eyes, and for one, brief moment, that temptation to push him away, shut him out, swam through her in an ugly current. She resolutely pushed it away, and when she finally did answer, her voice was tight and hoarse.

"The kids and I went to the market today, like Kya told you," she began precariously. "And while we were there, right before we came home, there was this woman…and she…she came up to buy some fruit and…she was pregnant…"

Aang closed his eyes in empathy, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. He didn't need to hear anymore. It all made sense in that moment. Even so, Katara still needed to unburden herself, so he stayed quiet to let her finish.

"I don't know what came over me, Aang," she confessed shakily. "It was like all of a sudden I'd just been punched in the gut. Seeing her pregnant with her belly like that and hearing her talk so happily about her baby coming in a month…it just set something off inside me." Fresh tears welled in her eyes. "The next thing I knew I was grabbing the kids and running for it. It was like I was just reminded that…that should've been me in a few months, you know?"

He hugged her tightly as her shoulders began to shake again, feeling his own eyes sting with tears. "I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered into her hair. "I wish I could make this better for you."

Katara shook her head against his shoulder, looking up at him earnestly. "You do make it better for me, Aang," she corrected him, desperately wanting him to know that very important fact. "I couldn't get through any of this without you. I know that…I know I was really difficult in the beginning, but now I can't even imagine going through all of this if you weren't here. I…I know I almost pushed you to that point, and I'm so sorr-"

He suddenly took her very firmly by the shoulders, cutting off her rambling. His gray gaze was intense and focused. "No. You didn't, Katara. Don't ever say that. You never came even close to pushing me to that point. I never would have left you, sweetie. I never could. _Ever_."

She favored him with a watery smile at his ferocity, an audible wheeze of relief leaking from her lungs. She reached out for his waist again, snuggling back into his arms.

"Aang…I know that I'm still a little up and down right now, but…please don't be scared about it, okay? I just…I still need time. There's still going to be times where I just get triggered and emotional and hormonal, and I don't want you to think whenever that happens that I'm going back to how I was. I'm not. I refuse to. I won't do that to you or the children, ever again. I promise." She looked up at him imploringly. "Do you believe me?"

He framed her face in his hands and brushed her lips with a soft kiss. "Of course I do, sweetie," he reassured her, pressing his forehead to hers. "Of course I do."

* * *

"You two seem to be in a good place."

Katara was startled from her reverie by Kanna sneaking up behind her, her aged features soft with contentment and relief. In the courtyard, dozens of children played and ran and laughed and screamed and bended together, making up games with their respective elements as Sokka, Suki, Toph and several parents from the city supervised and intervened when necessary. Only Tenzin and Lin, both too young to partake, decided on a joint nap time together, dozing in the afternoon sun next to Toph's seat. Katara, however, had been tucked away behind the shrubbery in the corner of the yard, watching adoringly as Aang worked meticulously to finish off the final touches on Kya's elaborate birthday cake. He was completely unaware of her gaze, and in that moment her heart was so full of love for him it actually felt like it had swollen to too big a size for her chest.

She smiled at her grandmother, feeling her face heat up a bit. "Yeah," she agreed whimsically. "We are. We are in a good place, Gran."

Kanna smiled. "Looks like quite the cake he's making there."

Katara laughed quietly, not wanting to alert Aang to their presence. "Kya was very insistent that it be Aang who made it. Apparently my cakes aren't as 'cool.' Then again, never go head to head with an Air Nomad when it comes to baking, right?"

Kanna murmured her consent. "Well, it's not every day that a young lady turns 11. We needed to pull out all the stops."

Katara nodded. "Indeed. Sokka and everyone are okay out there, right? Should I go too?"

Kanna shook her head. "It's fine. The kids are having a great time. The birthday girl created a water slide for her cousins and friends. I don't know if you saw. They're soaked, by the way. Just a fair warning."

Katara grinned. "I did see. It's hot today, they'll dry quickly." Her gaze drifted back to her husband, who was finishing up the frosting with a flourish.

"You're very cute," Kanna remarked drolly. Katara blushed.

"Am I, now?"

"You look like a besotted teenager, Katara. It's nice to see. I don't think I've ever seen you stare at him so fervently since the day you first met him and you brought him back to the village. Even then I remember looking at you two and just sensing this energy between you."

Katara ducked her head sheepishly. "Yeah, I remember." She sighed. "He's the only thing I've ever wanted since I was 14 years old, Gran. I love him every bit as much now as I always have." Her features suddenly clouded slightly with shame. "And for a moment there, I actually had him doubting whether or not that was true."

Kanna reached for her hand tenderly, giving it a squeeze. "I think, deep down, he never really doubted it, Katara. He was scared and uncertain, but at the root of it I think he always knew that you never stopped loving him." She paused. "That's why you've been able to reconcile so easily."

"It helped that you were there to encourage it," Katara acknowledged gratefully, favoring her grandmother with a loving look. And there, Kanna did something that Katara had never seen her do before: she blushed. "I mean it, Gran," Katara whispered hoarsely. "You helped this in ways I don't think you fully understand. If you had never pushed me to start opening up and fix this, I don't know where I'd be." She swallowed the lump that had started to form in her throat. "Thank you."

Despite her rosy flush, Kanna remained demure and modest. "All I want is for you to be happy, Katara. Both of you. That's all I've ever wanted." She paused, glancing at Aang for a moment, who was now moving his creation to the serving platter. "You know what it's like?"

Katara raised her eyebrows. "What's it like?"

"You are two people climbing opposite sides of the same mountain. You're on the same turf, and you're getting closer and closer, and soon you'll be at the peak together, strengthened and renewed." She smiled dryly. "That's a metaphor I've always liked. It applies to you."

She couldn't hold it back then. Katara stepped forward, enveloping her grandmother in a large hug. She felt the older woman's arms squeeze back around her waist with surprising strength for such an elderly woman, but she found it comforting as well.

"I love you, Gran," she murmured.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Just then, their intimate moment was unceremoniously interrupted by Aang shouting exuberantly into the courtyard. "What do we have here?" he exclaimed excitedly, and both women turned to see him carrying his decadent creation out to the table. The kids, particularly Kya, gawked in awe at the size and expertly-designed craftsmanship of the cake, clapping their small hands in delight. "Should we all sing to the birthday girl?"

"Aang, that thing is huge!" Sokka cried, blue eyes wide and incredulous. He reached down to wrap his arms around his niece's shoulders, grinning down at her. "What do you think, kiddo? You gonna be able to eat all of that?"

"Daddy, it's so pretty! I love it!" Kya was nothing less than ecstatic. As soon as Aang set down the cake, he reached down to swoop a still-sopping-wet Kya up into his arms. She giggled, and he pressed a kiss to her face as she flung her arms around his neck.

"What do you think? Did your father do a good job or what?"

"It's perfect!"

"Uncle Aang, you make the best cakes ever!" Kaylan cried, yanking on his father's tunic. "Dad, can Uncle Aang make my birthday cake this year?" Sokka laughed heartily.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you asked nicely." He glanced over towards the corner where Katara and Kanna were still standing, watching the display before them with amusement. "Hey, what are you two doing standing all the way over there? We have a birthday girl to sing to!"

Aang, still holding Kya in his arms, searched out his wife, grinning at her happily as she and Kanna made their way over towards the display, weaving through the crowd of now-soaked children. Katara reached forward and kissed her daughter's cheek enthusiastically, before turning and bestowing the same attention to her husband as well.

"Well done, master chef," she whispered proudly. Aang blushed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Kya, can your dad light the candles with firebending?" Kalina, one of Kya's friends from school, asked excitedly. "I've always wanted to see him do it!"

"Of course he can!" Kya exclaimed proudly. "My dad is the best firebender in the world! Even better than Firelord Zuko!"

Sokka and Toph guffawed loudly, clapping their hands in delight and throwing their heads back with laughter. "Oh, _if only_ he were here to hear her say that!" Toph yelped merrily. "His face would be priceless!"

Katara ruffled Kya's hair affectionately. "Sweetie, don't forget that Firelord Zuko was your daddy's teacher. Almost everything he knows he learned from him."

"Nah. Daddy's still better."

This time it was Aang who guffawed loudly, shrugging with amusement. "What can I say, Katara? The kid knows genius when she sees it."

"Oh, and she's not the _slightest_ bit biased, or anything," Katara joked good-naturedly.

"Of course not. Totally objective and level-headed." Katara smiled warmly, and leaned in to press another kiss to his bearded cheek, but then very discreetly moved her mouth close to his ear. Aang tried, unsuccessfully, to repress his shudder of delight at the feel of her soft mouth against the delicate shell.

"If you want to know the truth," she whispered quietly, so that no one could hear, "she's right. You _are_ the best."

He blushed, ducking his head sheepishly. "Not the _slightest_ bit biased, or anything," he whispered back, deliberately parroting her words. She shook her head, grinning widely.

"Nope. Totally objective and level-headed." He favored her with an adoring smile.

"Of course you are."

* * *

"You seem tired."

Katara sat on the edge of her side of the bed, removing her earrings before setting them deliberately on the nightstand beside her pillow. She felt Aang crawl into bed behind her, scooting up against her back before sweeping her hair over her shoulder and planting a tender kiss to her shoulder. Though she was lost in thought, a small smile played on her lips at the sensation.

"Yeah, I am. It was an eventful day."

"But a fun one," he remarked, gently smoothing his hand up and down the curve of her soft skin. "I can't believe she's 11 already." He blew out a sigh, dazed. "Where did the time go? I feel like 5 minutes ago I was this 20 year old kid holding this tiny little girl and asking myself how the name of the spirits I was going to do this." Katara giggled, inciting his own laugh. "Remember that?"

Katara nodded, amused. "Only too well. You definitely were freaked out there for a bit." She paused, and seemed to be considering something. "Then again, so was I. We were both very young."

"Yes, we were."

There was a silence, and despite her nostalgic smile, he could tell his wife still seemed rather preoccupied, and not by the day of Kya's birth.

"What are you thinking about?"

She hesitated, feeling silly. She shook her head again, smiling at him over her shoulder.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

He continued to look at her, his features touched with concern. After a moment, he leaned in and pressed a kiss against her temple. When he spoke, his words were free of accusation and anger.

"Remember what we promised each other?" he whispered into her hair. "No more 'nothings.'" He caressed her hand. "Tell me what's bothering you."

She smiled again, this time in wry concession, before lying down with him to face him on their bed. They snuggled together, wrapping themselves in each other's embrace, his hand skating up and down the length of her arm.

"I was just thinking of all the kids today," she whispered forlornly. "After we sang to Kya and cut the cake I was looking all around at all the children playing and…it just made me a little sad. That's all."

He nodded in understanding. "Was it hard for you?"

She didn't reply, simply nodded her head. Aang pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, right against her hairline.

"How so?"

Her eyes shimmered, her hand absently caressing his bare chest. "I guess it…I was watching you, after we'd eaten, and you were doing those airbending tricks for the kids, and it just reminded me of…" she trailed off, uncertain of how to word it.

"Of?" Aang prompted softly.

"…of…of how much I want to give you more children," she confessed tearfully, her words garbled. "How much I want to carry more of your babies. How much I want to give you back everything you've lost."

"You already have," he refuted fiercely, reaching up to stroke her cheek with his knuckles. "You've given me back _everything_, Katara. And then some." She shook her head mournfully.

"No, I haven't, Aang. Not really. None of our kids are airbenders –"

"We don't know that yet," he interjected gently. "Tenzin is only a few months old, sweetie. He wouldn't start showing signs until he was 18 months, more likely 2 years old. Not to mention that we're still not even in our mid-thirties. We have plenty of time to try for more kids, whenever you feel ready to. Don't rule that out just yet."

Katara nodded, unable to contest that very true fact. "But what if he's not? And what if…what if the baby we lost, what if he or she would've been an airbender? What if I _never_ give you any airbending children?"

"Then you never give me any airbending children," Aang responded quietly. "And we raise our three beautiful kids together and grow old together and have a wonderful life together, and die in each other's arms. And it makes absolutely zero difference to me." The conviction in his tone was absolute and unwavering, so much so that Katara found it almost daunting. She snuggled closer to him still, holding his hands in hers.

"I wish I could feel the same way," she admitted. "But no matter how hard I try to tell myself otherwise, I can't help but feel like…like I've failed you, Aang." Fresh tears began to rise up within her.

At those fragmented words, he pressed himself as close to her as he could, framing her face in his hands and looking at her with so much vulnerability it was overwhelming. His voice was gruff and heavy with emotion at what he said next.

"Katara…you have never, ever, not once in the 18 years I have known you, ever failed me. _Ever_. Get that thought out of your head, right now. _You have never failed me_. And the only reason – _the only reason_ – I am the man I am today is because you have been there holding me up and supporting me the entire time." He pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth, savoring her taste. "That is the truth," he concluded hoarsely, and Katara suddenly felt overcome with the urge to sob.

"You give me too much credit," she replied brokenly. Before she was even finished with the sentence, Aang was shaking his head in refusal.

"No. If anything, I don't give you enough."

She reached up to stroke his cheek with her shaking fingers, looking so open and exposed it physically hurt him to watch. "I love you, Aang," she whispered, so softly she was afraid that he might not have heard.

But he did hear. And in reply, he pulled her closer, kissing her over and over until she fell asleep in his embrace.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven – **_**15 Weeks After**_

"You look like you've got your hands full."

Aang ducked his head to bow through the doorway to the kitchen, smiling at the rather frazzled sight of Katara stirring what appeared to be a vegetable stew with one hand while balancing Tenzin on her hip with the other. She glanced up and favored him with an exasperated smile.

"He absolutely _would not_ just sit and play with his toys while I cooked," she sighed, her dark hair curling in pretty tendrils around her face. "He is extremely attention-starved tonight for some reason and he kept whimpering and crying if I put him down. I had no choice and finally just found this…solution, I guess we can call it."

Aang laughed, reaching for his son. "I can take him. I'm just going over some documents for council tonight anyway. I don't mind holding him while I read."

Katara let her head fall back with a relieved groan. "Oh, thank you. You're the best. I knew I married you for a reason."

Aang chuckled again, cradling the baby against his chest. Tenzin cooed in response but seemed content with the pass-off. Katara immediately rolled both shoulders and stretched out her neck, sighing in liberation.

"Better?" Aang grinned. She smiled back.

"Incredibly. Thank you. It should be ready in 20 minutes anyway, then we can eat. Bumi and Kya are outside and I'm pretty sure we're all starving."

"No problem. I got this." He swooped to pick his papers up off the counter and headed to the living room. "Let me know if you need anything else."

She chirped her thanks as he made his way into the salon, sitting down on the floor next to Tenzin's blanket and stuffed toys. He placed the infant in his lap, leaning against the bottom of the sofa as he began to sort through his documents. Tenzin snuggled against his tunic, and within a few moments he was suddenly dozing off against his father's chest. Aang absently dropped a kiss to the top of his little head before he allowed himself to get absorbed in what appeared to be the final documents for next week's big announcement: Republic City's official independence from both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom rule.

He lost track of time, editing, re-writing and tweaking when suddenly Tenzin seemed to rouse from his slumber. He peered around the room, his blue eyes suddenly fixating on his stuffed panda-fox. Of their three children, Tenzin appeared to be the only one who inherited Katara's eyes. They sparkled with delight as he began to reach for the toy. Aang, finally distracted from his paperwork, moved to retrieve it for his son when he suddenly froze.

Tenzin slithered his way off of his father's lap, and with what appeared to be a very coordinated, articulated effort, began to rise up on to hands and knees. With a seemingly steely determination, he slowly but very successfully began to place one hand in front of the other, followed by one knee in front of the other, inching his way towards his blanket of toys. Aang's eyes widened with delight as the little boy toppled, fell onto his belly, and then stubbornly pushed himself back onto all fours, crawling towards his panda-fox with purpose.

Aang laughed, and immediately dropped his papers.

"Katara! Sweetie, come here! Quick!"

He heard her close her pot of stew and make her way into the living room. "What's up?"

"Look!"

She glanced towards Tenzin, her blue eyes widening at the sight of her son who was now crawling all over his blanket and amongst his toys, with a big gummy smile on his face. She clapped her hands together, breaking into a huge, open-mouthed grin.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Go get Bumi, quick!"

"I know! I'll be right back!"

He heard her scurry out the front door, frantically calling for Kya and Bumi, who were engrossed in an intense game of hide-and-seek. Moments later they were careening through the door, out of breath and rosy cheeked, stopping short at the sight of their little brother who was now crawling all over the entire living room floor, falling to his belly every few moments and then resolutely pushing himself back up to continue.

Bumi squealed with delight, jumping up and down. "I knew it! I knew I could get him to do it! See Kya?! I told you I could!"

Kya giggled. "You did it, Bumi! Look how fast he's going!"

Katara reached down, planting a kiss to the crown of Bumi's head. She knew that Tenzin's crawling had much more to do with just natural infant development than any of Bumi's "lessons," but she saw no point in destroying that illusion. "Now he's going to be all over the place, sweetie. We're not going to be able to catch him."

"I remember when Bumi learned to crawl," Kya said proudly. "I used to sit on one side of the room and you'd crawl all the way over and into my lap." Bumi wrinkled his nose. Kya giggled at his reaction. "It was cute!" She paused. "At least, at the time, you were cute."

Bumi was too enthralled by Tenzin's antics to recognize the dig, and immediately got on the ground, coaxing Tenzin to crawl to him. It became clear relatively quickly that that was going to take a little more practice, but he was incredibly determined nonetheless.

While the kids continued to ooh and ah over the exciting news, Aang and Katara glanced at each other over their heads, their shared smile becoming extremely intimate and profound. Katara was positively glowing – easily the happiest he'd seen her since the miscarriage.

And as she smiled back at him, feeling tears begin to sting the backs of her eyes, she remembered Kanna's words from Kya's birthday the week before.

_You are two people climbing opposite sides of the same mountain. You're on the same turf, and you're getting closer and closer, and soon you'll be at the peak together, strengthened and renewed._

In that moment, the summit had been reached.

* * *

"So do we have a time set?" Aang queried.

"We do. Next Wednesday at 3pm. Me, you, Mai, Sokka, Suki, Toph. And everyone else ever from the Republic City governments. And probably their mothers." Zuko groaned, fatigue tainting his features as he sank back into his chair. He'd just spent a very long 3 days traveling from the Fire Nation to Republic City and the stress of the long journey was showing. He rubbed his temples tiredly, his long hair disheveled and his clothes rumpled.

Katara smiled in sympathy, handing him a cup of jasmine tea. "It's not Uncle's, but it should at least help you get some rest," she offered, sitting down across from him on the sofa next to Aang. Zuko groaned in appreciation.

"Oh, thank you, Katara." He took a sip, closing his eyes in contentment. "It feels so good to finally be inside and have a bed to crash in. Thanks for letting me stay with you guys until this is done."

"Of course, buddy," Aang replied. "You'd do the same for us. You have, actually. Many times."

Zuko granted him a small smile. "Anyway, I'm guessing it's probably going to go about two hours, but the reception afterwards will easily drag on into evening. You know how these things are. We probably won't be out until after dinnertime that night."

Aang winced. "Oof. I don't know if Kanna can handle the kids for that long." He glanced at Katara. "It's one thing when it's just Kya and Bumi and Tenzin. But this is Kya, Bumi, Tenzin, Zuko's twins, Honora, our three nephews _and_ Lin. Ten kids for over 6 hours? She can't do that, sweetie."

Katara nodded. "You're right. She'd tire out too fast. I hate to say that, but it's the truth."

"Maybe we can see if some of the kids' friends' parents can chip in and watch?"

"Actually," Katara responded, a look of thoughtfulness on her face, "now that I'm thinking about it…do I really need to be there?"

Aang furrowed his brow. He and Zuko shared a look, and it was clear that the Fire Lord was every bit as confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it," Katara pondered. "You two need to be there, obviously. Mai needs to be there because she's the Fire Lady. Ok. Sokka and Suki are both council members, Toph is head of Law Enforcement, so okay, they need to be there, too. But I don't really have a role in city government. Or in any government, for that matter. I'm just…"

"You're the Avatar's wife, Katara," Zuko said flatly. "You helped found Republic City. You definitely have a place there."

"He's right, sweetie," Aang said, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze. "You're every bit as important as the rest of us."

She smiled at his sweet earnestness. "It's not about that," she said. "I know that I'm a part of the group too, and yes, I have a place there, but I don't have an _obligation_ to be there the way you all do. I can do my part by staying here and watching the children. I don't mind. And to be honest," she admitted wryly, "it sounds way more fun to do that than sit in on a function that's going to last the entire afternoon and evening." She grimaced slightly.

Aang chuckled. "I can't argue with you there." His features suddenly clouded with concern. "Are…are you sure you want to do that? 10 kids all by yourself?"

She nodded. "Sure. I've done it before. Why not?"

_Because "before," you weren't recovering from a months-long physical and emotional trauma involving children_, he thought to himself, but wisely did not say. Instead, he made a conscious effort to release his lower lip from his teeth and smile at her warmly.

"…okay. If you're sure."

"I'm sure." She stood to take Zuko's teacup, who had been watching the entire exchange with piqued curiosity. "Consider all children watched," she laughed, before exiting into the kitchen. Aang watched her go, his face immediately clouding with worry once again.

"What's that look?" Zuko asked bluntly. Aang flushed.

"Nothing. Just…"

"Just?"

"I'm just worried that that's a lot of work for her," he responded vaguely. They hadn't told Zuko about the miscarriage and Aang knew that Katara wanted to keep it that way – only Sokka, Suki and Kanna knew. Not even Toph, whose baby she had delivered not even hours after losing her own. Zuko laughed, waving his hand dismissively.

"Aang, please. This is Katara. The most competent mother and child-rearer in the history of the world. Trust me, she's got this. It's a lot of work, but she's got this. Besides, the boys will be happy to see her – they don't see their Aunt Katara nearly enough anyway. They and Kya are nearly the same age anyway and old enough to help out if needed."

Aang nodded, conceding the point, but the little seed of worry had taken root and begun to sprout nonetheless. He glanced one more time towards the kitchen where Katara was tidying up.

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

* * *

Aang closed the book, having finished Kya and Bumi's bedtime story, and placed it on the nightstand before reaching over and pressing kisses to both of their rumpled heads. They had opted to share Kya's bed that night, which was something Aang found heartwarming – despite their bickering and rivalry, he knew his son and daughter shared a very deep love between them and were, in many ways, best friends. As they nestled down into the sheets, Aang tucked the covers around them snugly.

"I love you both," he whispered.

"I love you too, Dad," Kya replied sleepily.

"Love…Daddy…" Bumi mumbled, already half asleep.

Aang smiled, blowing out the candle and then rising to cross to the bedroom door. His hand was on the knob when Bumi's small voice drifted towards him through the darkness.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Mommy seems happy again," he murmured thickly. Aang felt a lump form in his throat.

"Yeah, buddy. She is happy again."

"So she's not sick anymore?" This time it was Kya who spoke. "Her hormone things are better?"

Aang smiled despite himself. "Yeah, sweetie. It appears they are."

"Good," Bumi finished around a yawn. "I didn't like it when she was sad. I hope she stays happy."

Aang was grateful for the darkness, concealing the tears swimming in his eyes.

"She'll stay happy, buddy. She's okay. It's all okay now."

And, for the first time since losing the baby, he found that he meant it.

**A/N: Soooo...just so you guys know, I...would not read the next two chapters at work.**

**Fair warning. :-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This chapter is very NSFW. But you already knew that. **

**Also, once again, the first portion of this chapter is pretty much verbatim chapter 4 of Tales of Republic City by DJNS. And you better have read that by now after my warning last time. Das right. **

**Chapter Twelve – **_**4 Months After**_

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Aang asked Katara, regarding her in the full length mirror situated on the back of their bedroom door as she adjusted the collar on his ceremonial robes and solicitously smoothed out nonexistent wrinkles. He twisted at glance back at her. "What if this is too soon, too fast?"

Katara made a face at him, fiddling with his collar. "And what if you worry too much?"

"No, really, Katara. Are you _sure_ you want to do this?" He pressed again. He pivoted to face her. "You can call it off. I'm completely okay with you calling it off."

"Why do you keep asking me that?" Katara laughed. "You don't think I can handle a few kids?" She arched a single brow in challenge. "I handled you, Toph and Sokka just fine _and _when I was just a kid myself."

"Yeah, but multiply me, Toph and Sokka times ten," Aang deadpanned, "Not only are you proposing to watch our children during this council meeting, but Zuko's three kids, Sokka's three boys _and_ Toph's newborn! Just _thinking_ about doing it makes me want to run for the hills."

"So the mighty Avatar can't handle a few screaming children?" Katara needled with a smirk. She tsked him. "How disappointing…and shameful. So very shameful."

Aang refused to be cowed by her ribbing. "You're painfully outnumbered, sweetie. There's no shame in retreat."

"Will you stop it?" Katara giggled, "I'll be fine. Besides, it's not like I'll be on my own. Gran-Gran is here. She can help me."

"That's your backup?" Aang balked incredulously, "Your Gran-Gran? No offense, Katara, but the woman needs a nap after a trip to the kitchen."

Katara emitted a mock gasp of affront and darted out a quick hand to pinch his side. Aang squealed in amusement. "I'm going to tell her you said that!" she threatened.

"I'm being serious, Katara," Aang maintained, despite his affable grin, "I don't want you to be overwhelmed. There's no reason that Mai and Suki can't stay behind and help you hold down the fort. These are _their _kids, you know!"

"And they didn't ask me to do it. I volunteered."

"So un-volunteer."

"_Aang!_" Katara sighed in exasperation, "You know that Mai and Suki need to be present for that meeting. Officially declaring Republic City and the United Republic of Nations an independent state from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation despite the fact they kind of belong to both nations is a very big deal. Mai is the Firelord's wife and she needs to be at his side. And Suki is a council representative for the Earth Kingdom. Neither of them can blow this off."

Aang had no valid case and he knew it. "I hate it when you're reasonable," he grumbled.

"And I hate it when you worry," she countered archly, "You know that if I run into trouble that I have plenty of air acolytes to help me out…since apparently you believe my Gran-Gran isn't up for the job."

"We don't need to repeat that to her."

"I'll just bet we don't," Katara chuckled wryly.

"Okay…well, how about this," Aang began, abruptly switching tactics, "Why don't you let the acolytes chase the kids around today and you can come into the city with me?" He plucked at his collar proudly. "Good idea, huh?"

Katara favored him with a deadpan expression. "You are so extremely transparent, Airbender."

"I have no idea what you mean," Aang brazened.

"I don't need you to keep an eye on me," Katara told him. "I'm not going to fall apart the second I'm out of your sight, Aang."

"I'm not trying to keep an eye on you." But the denial was weak. He knew it and she knew it.

"Listen to me. I'll be fine," she reassured him, "I'm healing. It's been slow and painful, but I _really_ am starting to heal."

"But what if the children tire you out?"

"Are you kidding? Have you seen your daughter with them? She's already got them all falling in line, even Bumi."

Aang choked out a laugh, unable to dispute that laudable fact. "Yeah, I peeked out into the courtyard a while ago and she had them on their toes." He placed his hands on his hips and flipped his nonexistent ponytail, affecting his best impression of Kya. "Okay, you lily livers, from now on you answer to me," Aang mimicked, "You will do what I say, when I say! You're on Air Temple Island now! My world, my rules!" He chuckled at the picture Kya made in his mind. "She even had Honora shaking."

A snort of laughter bubbled from Katara's lips over that statement and the antics that had preceded it. "Our little Kya is quite the bossy general, isn't she?" she remarked wryly, "She certainly didn't get that from me. I guess we have Toph to thank for that."

"Oh yeah, right. She definitely gets her bossiness from _Toph_." However, the meaningful look he directed at Katara said otherwise.

His rolling sarcasm was met with yet another pinching attempt, but this time Aang was quick enough to dance out of her reach. "Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me," he sang.

Katara lifted her chin with a haughty sniff. "You are such a child!"

"You're just mad because I'm too fast for you."

"Whatever," she volleyed back with a dismissive wave before flouncing over to the bed. "Don't you have people waiting for you in our living room?" she grumbled with a good-natured smile, "Get out of here before you're late for your meeting."

"Fine, I'm leaving, but… I'll miss you."

Her counterfeit scowl softened into a smile. "I'll miss you too," she murmured, "Come over here and kiss me goodbye."

"With pleasure."

Aang eagerly crossed the distance between them and bent forward, intending to drop a quick kiss onto her mouth before he departed. Katara, however, had other plans.

The moment his lips made contact with hers, she framed his face in her hands and transformed Aang's brief peck into a long, lingering kiss. Pleasantly surprised and mildly confused, Aang drew back to survey her with a speculative stare. The unspoken invitation was evident in her eyes, dark and swirling and seductive. It was an exact replica of the look in her eyes and on her face the night of the festival, before they'd been painfully interrupted by Kanna. His stomach dipped pleasurably. He swallowed hard and whispered her name.

"Kiss me again," she urged, already curving her fingers around his nape to pull him closer.

With a soft groan of need, Aang did as she asked, dipping his head to kiss her again, longer and deeper this time. Katara whimpered a moan against his mouth, twisting her fingers into the loose material of his tunic, pulling him closer and fitting her eager body to his. They tumbled back into the bed together, frenetically tearing away restrictive clothing and tossing it away in their demanding impatience to be skin to skin, suddenly impervious to the fact that Aang was supposed to be leaving soon or that he had nearly half a dozen people waiting for him in their living room. Their bodies arched and tangled, hands gripping and grasping as they fused their mouths together again and again.

Katara's world was reduced to a single point of pure sensation where nothing else existed beyond Aang's mouth, his touch, the weight of him against her body and the undeniable heat of his naked flesh pressed to hers. Aang returned her embrace with fervor, feeling like he was drowning in her, his body stirring into response as his arousal began to crest against her hip, his heated kisses descending down over her naked breasts. She moaned loudly at the contact, and just as his mouth closed over one turgid nipple, a thought suddenly occurred to him. There was no way they were getting stopped this time.

With great difficulty, he managed to twist out of her arms, leaving her shivering and frustrated with his sudden retreat. Before she could process his intentions, he was sprinting over to their bedroom door. Katara reared up onto her elbows to regard him with a disappointed frown, her unbound hair hopelessly tousled, her lips swollen from his fervid kisses and her torso bare.

"What are you doing?" she panted, her bosom heaving desperately with each breath.

"What do you think? I'm locking the door," he replied, doing exactly that before pivoting to face her with a feline smile. "We wouldn't want to have any awkward interruptions."

Katara slowly returned his smile. "No, we wouldn't."

"So…" he drawled, almost shy, "You ready to pick up where we left off?"

"Don't you have a council meeting in half an hour?" Katara reminded him, blinking up at him with an expression that was far from innocent. "Zuko won't be pleased. You know how he feels about punctuality."

Aang slowly approached the bed, pushing his trousers down over his lean hips and kicking them away as he did so. "He'll get over it." He climbed into bed, grinning in approval when his wife came readily into his arms, entwining her limbs with his own. "Besides, you know how quick and efficient I can be," he added, stifling her answering giggle with his lips as he pressed her back into the bed, "all I need is five good minutes…"

* * *

Katara lay in bed completely naked, twisted in the rumpled sheets still warm from Aang's body just moments before, a lazy, satisfied smile on her lips as she rolled over and buried her face into his pillow. She breathed in his scent, and for one moment it almost felt as though he were still there with her, and the feeling sent a warm sizzle up the inside of her thighs, her stomach dipping pleasantly, a hot knot of pleasure turning in her belly. She squeezed her legs tightly together, intensifying the ache there. Though she had been left more than satisfied by Aang's hands and mouth and…other things, she still throbbed with want for him.

She closed her eyes and remembered mere moments before, her grin dreamy and lascivious. Aang's weight settled against hers, his strong hands and arms clutching her to him, her legs wrapped around his lean hips as he stroked inside her hard, fast, desperately. Her own arms wrapped so tightly around his shoulders, cradling his head against her breast, and she'd felt as though she could have absorbed him into her, her nails scraping into his back. The way he moaned her name again and again, his mouth against her ear and her neck, his fervid kisses across her face and lips and cheeks and eyes and hair, and her choppy whimpers of pleasure in response, begging him not to stop as she arched into him, her own hips pounding steadily against his. The intense wave of her climax washing over her entire body, how she had cried out his name not caring if she was heard, and his low, deep groan of satisfaction mixed with her name in return, once again, as he released deep inside of her warmth and fell against her in exhaustion, clutching her to him as tightly as he could. Soft, warm kisses in the aftermath, his eyes shining with so much happiness it very nearly broke her heart as she kissed his face all over – his mouth, his eyes and cheekbones and the tip of his arrow. In that moment, she felt as though she would die if he still had to leave. But had to leave he did.

He had been nigh incapable of detangling himself from her arms, forcing himself only at her insistence. She hugged his pillow to her, her grin so big now that it spread from ear to ear as she recalled how hard it had been to leave each other.

"_You know you need to leave," she'd giggled as he bit playfully at her throat, his rough hand palming her breast, thumb running over the peak. His beard tickled the sensitive flesh and she laughed again. He groaned, pressing his hips against hers ever so slightly, burying his face into the softness of her neck._

"_I can't leave you. I can't. They'll have to have the meeting without me." His words were muffled, and she could hear that even though he was jesting, there was a modicum of seriousness to the statement. Katara pulled together every ounce of willpower she possessed and pushed him away just enough to take his face in her hands._

"_You know you can't do that. They're all waiting for you. They've probably figured out by now what we've been doing," she whispered, a slight blush staining her cheeks. She looked so beautiful he couldn't resist kissing her again, tangling his long legs with hers. She whimpered, snuggling deeper against him as he rolled her over onto her back, his hand moving down to caress her bare hip._

"_I think," he panted between kisses, "that you're probably right." More kisses. "I also think that I could not care less." He paused for a moment in his ministrations to look at her in utter adoration. "Do you?"_

_She smiled, still holding his face in her hands, and shook her head happily. She pulled him down for yet another kiss, tasting him thoroughly before they simply lay together, his forehead to hers, drinking each other in. Finally, she sighed, caressing his cheek lovingly._

"_It's important, Aang. This is important. You need to go." She spoke 100% out of duty rather than conviction and they both knew it. Aang pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead._

"_Not as important as this," he whispered. Katara felt that tell-tale lump form in her throat at the intensity of his gaze. Aang reached up, pulling her hand from his face and pressing a kiss to the back of it before interlacing his fingers with hers._

"_I can't leave you," he confessed again, a slight tremor in his voice. "I can't."_

_She took a deep breath, trying to get a reign on her emotions before she pressed another kiss to the tip of his arrow. She understood all too well – at that moment, she truly felt she would die without him there. He closed his eyes, losing himself in her, and he felt her whisper against his skin._

"_Tonight."_

_His long lashes fluttered open to gaze down at her. She spoke again._

"_Tonight. As soon as you get back and the kids are asleep. We can be together all night. I promise."_

_He looked at her, his gray eyes shining with hope. "Really?"_

_She nodded happily. "Really. So the sooner you get out of here, the sooner you can come back."_

_They both laughed, and he groaned, dropping his head against her breast. He placed one, single kiss between the soft mounds before finally conceding._

"_Okay."_

_He very reluctantly pushed himself up, immediately feeling empty without her in his arms, and she sat up with him as he swung his legs from the bed and began to search for his discarded robes. As he started to pull his clothing on, he looked at her there, her beautiful, bare body barely concealed by the sheets, and he instantly felt his resistance start to crumble. Katara, well aware of his struggle, gave him a playful shove to push him from the bed._

"_Don't you dare," she warned. He laughed. _

"_I can't help it. It's not my fault if you're too beautiful to leave."_

_She blushed again as he tied on his sash, and although she knew it was probably a bad idea, she couldn't stop herself from rising up on her knees and framing his face for yet another kiss. Instantly he pulled her to him, carding his fingers through her hair as he tasted her again and again. _

"_I…I really should go…" he whimpered between kisses, but made no effort to do so. Katara grinned against his lips._

"_I know you should," she whispered back. "Tonight. I'll be waiting for you."_

"_I am not going to be able to concentrate on a single thing during this entire meeting," he groaned, brushing kisses across the bridge of her nose and her cheekbone and over her forehead. She giggled, smooshing his face between her hands before giving him one, final kiss._

"_I know. So just put on your Avatar face and make it look like you're listening. Then come straight back here to me."_

_He whimpered. "You're making this very hard."_

_She carefully and deliberately pressed him away, pointing to the door. "Go."_

_He hedged for one more second, then steeled his resolve to head towards the bedroom door, smoothing down his robes as he went in hopes of making it a little less obvious what he'd just spent the last 20 minutes doing. His hand was on the knob when he heard it._

"_I love you, Aang."_

_When he turned around to face her, it was as if his face had been illuminated by the purest sunlight. His smile was almost ethereal, an elation that was beyond description. Seeing her sitting there, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders, holding the sheet up around her, her shimmering blue eyes as she smiled at him in adoration was too much. His resolve cracked and before he knew it, he was frantically climbing back into the bed, tearing the sheet from her body and falling with her back against the pillows, covering her face and bare torso with hot, searching kisses. _

"_Forget the stupid meeting!" he moaned against her, "let them all solve their own problems for once!"_

_Katara giggled against his mouth, cradling his head to her as he pressed his lips against every inch of her that he could reach. She returned them fervidly, suddenly all too willing to grant his request to blow off his duties when suddenly there was a sharp rap at the door._

"_Yo! Twinkletoes! Sugar Queen! Wrap it up in there, would you? There's plenty of time to get laid later! Zuko's already probably having a stroke that we haven't shown up yet!"_

_Aang huffed out a sigh of pure frustration as Katara laughed, loudly, and sat up, pushing him from the bed as she did so. "She's right. Go."_

_He framed her face, kissing her one final time. "I love you, Katara."_

"_I love you. Hurry back."_

"_I will."_

_And finally, he turned to open the door. Toph stood on the other side, arms crossed, huffing her bangs out of her face in supreme annoyance._

"_Nice of you to show up, Baldy."_

"_Sorry." But despite his word choice, his tone and disposition showed he wasn't the slightest bit so. He suddenly had the mindless afterthought to block his completely naked wife from Toph's view, but she only huffed again at his effort._

"_Really, Aang? For Heaven's sake, when are you people going to remember that – you know what? Nevermind. You're never going to remember. C'mon. Let's go. Have fun with your nakedness, Katara." She yanked him by the sleeve, with Aang tossing one last crooked grin over his shoulder at his wife before closing the door behind him._

She lay there now, remembering the moment, how hard it had been to let him go and her whole body aching with anticipation for that evening. He wasn't due back until after dinner, and, like her husband, she had no idea how she was supposed to concentrate on anything until then. She could hear the kids playing out in the courtyard and knew she had to redirect herself firmly into "Mama" mode, but right now all she could feel, smell, taste, touch and want was Aang.

Love lay so thick in her breast she actually had physical trouble breathing. As she contemplated the ceiling above her, it felt as though something inside her – something raw and hurt and bleeding – had finally sealed itself shut, as if a soothing balm had been applied to a wound. The memory of his hands on her bare body, how he'd felt inside her, the taste of his kiss, his voice moaning her name…she groaned in frustration, gripping the pillow tighter. How would she ever make it until that evening?

Suddenly, there was another knock on the bedroom door, this one much softer. "Mom? Bumi and Honora want to know if we can have a snack. Can I make them the apple slices and nut butter with that spice bread?"

Katara grinned at her daughter's voice, immediately sitting up and reaching for her tunic. "Of course, sweetheart," she called to her as she slipped it over her head and headed for the door. She tied closed the front as she swung it open, looking down at Kya's pretty face and toothy grin, holding Tenzin in her arms. A new tooth was starting to grow in where she'd lost the baby one a few months back. She framed the girl's face in her hands and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then atop Tenzin's head. "How about you help me press some lemonade, too? It sounds like you guys might be thirsty after all that running around."

Kya's face lit up. "Can I use the squeezy thingy?"

"It's called a juice presser," Katara laughed, leading her down the hall towards the kitchen. "And yes, you can use it. But just remember –"

"I know, don't press too hard on the handle or else it breaks." Just then, Bumi and Honora came bounding into the hallway, laughing with delight.

"Aunt Katara, can I carry Tenzin into the kitchen?" Honora asked timidly. Kya looked up at Katara in a quest for approval, and Katara nodded.

"Of course, Honora. Just make sure –"

"No running and no stairs," Kya finished proudly, handing the baby over to her 8-year-old cousin. Katara laughed.

"Exactly."

Sokka and Suki's boys were already in the kitchen by the time they arrived, grabbing plates and cups. The kids laughed and giggled and talked together about their playtime as Honora, with Katara's guidance, placed Tenzin into his high chair. While Kya showed her youngest cousin how to operate "the squeezy thingy" and Lin rolled around on her blanket on the floor, playing with her soft toys, she took a moment to look out over the kitchen at her family, and in that moment, Katara could not recall the last time she had ever felt so happy. She would get to spend the whole day not only with her babies, but with her nieces and nephews and their friends as well. And later that evening, Aang would return to her bed and her arms. And he would stay there. All night.

_You know_, she thought to herself privately. _I am a very lucky woman._

* * *

The sun had just finished setting over Republic City when the entourage finally returned home. Katara had to resist the urge to go careening out the front door and tackling Aang to the ground upon their arrival, which was made easier by the fact that she was holding a sleeping Nilak in her arms while overseeing Kya, Honora, Shi-Ning and Tong Kwu's efforts to clean up the kitchen after dinner. Bumi, Tenzin, Lin and her nephews had tuckered out almost immediately after eating, having spent the whole day running and playing and otherwise exhausting themselves completely, and if the droopy bags under the four eldest's eyes were any indication, they would not be too far behind. Just as the group began to funnel in through the front gate, she whisked the kids off to get ready for bed.

Toph strode through the door first, looking tired but pleased. "How did it go?" she queried, surveying the nearly-cleaned kitchen and dining area. Katara laughed.

"Exhausting, but it was great. The kids had a wonderful time. We spent a good portion out in the sun down by the waterfront so they're pretty tired."

Toph smiled. "Where's my kid?"

Katara smiled back. "Fast asleep. I put her down with Tenzin before dinner. She ate her whole bottle. She's getting big, Toph."

For a brief moment, a sort of besotted expression tainted the earthbender's usually remote features, and Katara felt her heart swell. She knew that adjusting to motherhood had been very difficult for her friend, but that the bond between her and her daughter was growing stronger and stronger by the day. It was comforting and reassuring to see.

"I'm going to go get her and then we'll get out of your hair. Is everyone else asleep too?"

"Kya, Honora and her brothers are getting ready for bed. I'm assuming all went smoothly for you guys as well?"

"Smooth as silk. Boring speeches, chicken dinners, you know the drill." She paused, then smirked. "Did you manage to make it through the day?" She made it abundantly clear she was not referring to babysitting.

Katara felt her face flush, and rolled her eyes to cover with an amused smirk in return. "I'll have you know that I am completely capable of going one day without." She saw no reason to inform Toph that it had actually been 4 months. She faked a scowl. "That said, you, my friend, are a straight-up cockblocker."

Toph threw her head back, barking with laughter. "HA! I never thought I'd hear you use such a word! Love it."

"I call it like I see it."

"Call what like you see it?" Sokka asked, stepping through the threshold with Suki, Zuko, Mai, and finally Aang on his heels. The second Aang came into Katara's line of vision, their eyes met. He broke into a wide, adoring grin, and the naked longing on his face was so apparent it was comical. Instantly she felt her heart rate increase.

"Nothing. Just giving Toph a hard time."

"How are my boys?" Sokka inquired, glancing around. "Did they pass out?"

Katara chuckled. "Completely. You want me to wake them?"

"Don't worry; Suki and I will do it. You've got enough on your plate with your own and Zuko and Mai's staying with you."

Mai actually laughed. "I hope they weren't too much trouble, Katara." Katara waved her hand dismissively in response.

"Not at all! They were actually the most mellow. Take after their parents," she teased.

"How did everything go, sweetie?" Aang asked, striding over to press a kiss to her forehead. She very nearly moaned with need at the contact of his lips on her skin, and swallowed hard, looking up into his eyes.

"Wonderful."

He swallowed roughly in return, meeting her stare intensely, the energy between them building to almost palpable levels. She could see the shameless desire on his face and knew that it mirrored her own to a tee. Suddenly, in that moment, neither one of them cared that everyone in the room seemed to be watching them. She knew without question that he was remembering her promise from that afternoon, and had most likely been thinking about it since the second he'd been forced from their bed and out of the house. The message communicated in their shared gaze was silent, but clear.

_Get them out of here, now._

They were so lost in each other's eyes that they barely noticed Suki's overly-perky interjection.

"You know what, honey? Why don't we take the kids back with us tonight? They can stay at our place. Zuko, Mai, you guys come too."

Sokka turned a confused look towards his wife. "What? Why? Half the kids are already asleep and the other half are getting ready for bed. If anything it would make more sense for the boys to stay here tonight, don't you think?"

Toph dropped her head forward in exasperation at Sokka's obliviousness, a sentiment that was clearly shared by Suki. She sighed, and pinned her husband with a pointed look.

"Sweetie," she said with artificial saccharinity, "I really think it would be _very nice of us_ to have the kids and Zuko and Mai stay with us tonight." She turned to Mai in a clear plea for support. "You two would like that, _wouldn't you_?"

Zuko was just about to open his mouth to also express his confusion over the sudden turn of events when Mai not-so-subtly nudged him in the side with her elbow. "That sounds delightful, Suki," she replied smoothly. "We'd love to." She turned and pinned Zuko with an equally pointed look. The Fire Lord blinked in confusion for a moment before glancing over at Aang and Katara, who had obviously not heard a single word of the entire exchange and who were completely captivated in each other's gaze.

In that moment, it finally seemed to click.

"Oh! Uh…yes! Yes, that would be great. Sure. Perfect, let's do…that…then."

Sokka was still on his own planet. "What are you all acting so weird for? I don't get why –"

He stopped short. Suki, Mai, Zuko and Toph were downright scowling at him at this point. Suddenly, he popped to attention, the metaphorical ostrich-horse finally crossing the finish line as he threw a desperate glance at his sister and brother-in-law.

Instantly, he blushed a deep scarlet and swallowed hard. "Oh!" Then, the ramifications finally seemed to hit him. "_Oh_. Um…that sounds…great! Perfect idea. You two should come. Yes. Great idea. Perfect." He winced. "I'll just…go get the kids and we'll get out of here very very fast." He purposefully directed his next comment towards Aang and Katara. "_Very fast_."

That seemed to finally shake the couple from their dazed reverie. They looked around only to find their closest friends all grinning at them slyly and instantly flushed pink, knowing full well that every single person in that room knew exactly what was going on and what was going to happen the instant everyone was out of the house. But truthfully, Aang considered, he couldn't care less. At that moment the only thing he cared about was Katara. More specifically, a naked Katara. And even more specifically, a naked Katara wrapped around a naked him.

5 minutes later, the confused and sleepy children had been roused and gathered up, ready to be swiftly transported off to Sokka and Suki's. While the change in plans was strange, they were all far too tired and far too accustomed to staying with their aunt and uncle regularly to care or question it. Toph bundled up Lin and headed out with cheeky instructions for her friends to "have a good night – a _very_ good night," and after quick kisses goodbye to Kya, Bumi, Tenzin and their nephews and nieces, Sokka, Suki, Mai and Zuko beat a hasty retreat out the door.

There was a moment of silence as they stared at the closed door, and then slowly turned to face each other. Before they even had a moment to say or do anything, however, slow, shuffling footsteps began to make their way down the hall, revealing Kanna dressed in her traveling cloak and with a small bag.

"Gran-Gran!" Katara cried, taking in the sight. "What are you doing out of bed? I thought you went to sleep hours ago."

Kanna smiled tiredly. "I took a small nap," she conceded. "But I just heard everyone talking about how they're all spending the night at Sokka and Suki's and thought it would be nice to join them." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. "I assume this is okay with you?" She grinned cheekily.

They stared at her, flushing red for easily the fifth time that night, and watched wordlessly as she saddled around them and reached for the door. The group was still packing the kids into the carriage to take them down to the ferry. "Oh good, I haven't missed them," she said pleasantly. "Well, off I go! Enjoy your evening, you two."

And then she was gone.

Aang blinked rapidly at the door, stunned. "Did…did we just sexile your Gran-Gran?"

Katara slowly turned to face them. "We seem to have sexiled everyone," she clarified. Aang ducked his head sheepishly.

"Wow. I hope they – "

What he hoped, he never got a chance to utter, because at that moment Katara had thrown herself at him with such force it literally slammed him back into the wall. Her lips crushed against his hungrily as she threw her arms around his neck, pressing her body flush to his in aching need to eliminate all space between them. Without even an iota of hesitation, Aang wrapped his arms around her in a fervid, greedy embrace, returning her kisses with equal enthusiasm, his hand reaching up into her dark hair to cup the back of her head and deepen his exploration of her mouth. After a long moment, Katara broke away just enough to murmur against his lips.

"This is all I could think about all day," she moaned, grabbing him by the lapels of his tunic to pull him towards their bedroom. Aang groaned with need, kissing her again and again as they stumbled blindly into their door.

"Me too," he whimpered, reaching up to cup her face. "Everyone was going on and on with their speeches and then the reception afterwards where I had to pretend to care and all I wanted was you," he gasped, pushing open their door causing them to stagger back into the bedroom. Their tongues meshed and danced together in desperation. Katara began frantically tearing at the sash around his waist, the heat and throbbing between her legs intensifying more and more with every moment, when suddenly his hands covered hers, stopping her. She broke the kiss to look up at him in confusion, her face flushed, her hair disheveled, her eyes glazed.

Abruptly, all frantic-ness seemed to drain out of the situation. They looked at each other in panting silence, vulnerable and aching, and he reached up to brush her loopies back from her face tenderly. The expression on his face shifted from frantic and heated to raw and open, his undying devotion to her etched into every line of his beautifully handsome features. And suddenly, in that moment, Katara was overwhelmed with the urge to cry.

He brought both of her hands up to his lips, kissing them tenderly, his own eyes shimmering in the darkness. With trembling fingers, she cupped his face, and then lifted up onto her toes to brush his lips in a soft, warm, thorough, slow kiss. He gripped her as though he were trying to fuse himself to her, whimpering into her mouth, and she released her grip on the back of his robes just long enough to shut the door behind them both. She could feel her knees shaking right along with his and was grateful for his embrace holding her up, as she was unsure if she could support herself right then. Then, he dropped his forehead against the curve of her shoulder, holding her tightly, and she cradled his head to her, kissing the top of his head, the tip of his arrow, the tip of his nose.

She smoothed her hands down his arms and linked her fingers with his, walking backwards and taking him with her. When she reached their bed, she sank down into the soft mattress, shifting to create space for him in the warm grooves of her body. She could feel his erection pulsing against her upper thigh, and kissed him once again, his large, strong hand gently smoothing over the soft swell of her breast. When the kiss broke, he looked down at her in complete adoration, stroking her cheek with the backs of his knuckles.

"I love you, Katara," he whispered thickly. She couldn't stop the tears this time and let them spill over on to her cheeks. How much she had missed him was suddenly so painful she felt like she was being ripped in two.

"I love you too, Aang."

* * *

If the time between them prior to the council meeting had been hasty and frantic, this was pretty much the exact opposite. There was no need to hurry, no need to rush, even though it had been months and months between them without sexual intimacy. Suddenly, it felt as though they had forever to make up for the time lost, and they planned to fully use every single minute of it.

She was completely naked, lying open and exposed in the downy softness of their mattress and the warmth of his arms. He was, too, the moonlight accenting his beautiful body as he leaned over her, his hands smoothing down every single one of her curves as he fervently devoted himself to his mission to kiss every single part of her body. He started with her face, her hair, her eyes, drifting lower across her neck and collar bone, before moving to her breasts, lavishing the peaks with intense attention. She gasped and writhed beneath him, his quiet whispers of adoration murmured against his skin as he traced his fingers along every freckle, every birthmark, every scar, punctuating each mark on her body with a worshiping brush of his lips. He studied her. As if she were a lesson he'd long since mastered but hadn't practiced in forever.

He kissed his way down her arms, over her hands, into her palms, each knuckle, each fingertip. Then lower still, over her sleek abdomen, to the soft spot of her belly between her hip bones and she whimpered, her hips reflexively rising up into his mouth. She reached out to cradle his head against her, and he could feel the heat radiating from her center. She could feel the wetness pooling there, the throbbing ache that accompanied it, and when he finally brushed his tongue over the moist, pink lips she couldn't help but cry out loudly, grinding her hips against his mouth. He kissed her deeply, meeting her thrusts with each press of his tongue, her moans becoming more and more strident.

"Baby," she gasped desperately. "Faster…please, more…faster…"

But he stopped then, lifting his head to look at her with a tiny smile. She whimpered in frustration. "Shhhh," he soothed, running his large hands up and down the swell of her hips. "Not yet."

She groaned, clutching at his shoulders as he descended further down the inside of her thigh, over her kneecaps, leaving no inch of cocoa-colored skin untouched by his mouth. He kissed the inside of the arch of her foot, eliciting a ticklish giggle from his wife, before climbing back up her body to kiss her deeply. She licked the taste of herself from his tongue, and it was so healing and so soothing it was nearly overwhelming.

He caressed her hair, lowering his lips to her neck and around to her ear. "Turn over for me?"

She looked up at him, blushing, nodding with a shy smile. She looked so beautiful then that he couldn't suppress his whimper. He gently helped her over so that she was lying on her stomach, her cheek against the pillow as he began his exploration once again with this mouth and fingers, down the back of her neck, over her shoulders, between her scapulae. One kiss for each notch of her vertebrae, down the entire length of her spine, over the backs of her ribs. Soft, gentle nibbles over her buttocks, which caused her to giggle and writhe, drawing his own chuckle from him and he descended down the backs of her thighs and calves. By the time he had reached her toes once again, she was writhing wantonly against the mattress, aching with so much need it physically hurt.

"Aang," she whimpered hoarsely. "Please…"

Once again, he was settled over her, and he gently moved her over on to her back. His own arousal throbbed painfully as she reared up to capture his mouth in a hungry kiss, opening her legs in eager invitation. He settled himself into the space she created for him, holding her upper body against his, curling himself into her and nestling his face into the soft waves of her hair, her mouth landing right next to the soft shell of his ear.

"Please," she gasped. "Aang, I need you to…I want…you…please, I need – _oh_!"

She threw back her head with a cry as he slid inside her in one, slow, fluid thrust. Her cry mixed with his own at the amazing feeling of being buried so deeply inside of her warmth, her wetness, and his hands reflexively clutched her to him harder. She immediately tightened her thighs around his hips in an effort to draw him in as deep as he could go, one hand wrapped around his shoulders and back, the other clutching the back of his head, his face still buried into her hair.

His thrusts were slow and deliberate at first, pulling out nearly all the way and then sheathing himself fully within her once again. In the recesses of her brain, Katara was incredibly thankful that the house was empty and she didn't have to suppress her keening moans of pleasure at each long, deep, hard foray into her body. She gasped harder and harder as Aang's thrusts began to gain momentum and speed. He buried his face deeply into her neck, nestling her down into the mattress, his hands knotted into her hair.

"Katara," he moaned helplessly, moving faster and faster with each moment. "You feel so good…oh, spirits, I forgot how good you felt…"

"Aang," she groaned, coaxing his face from her neck to frame it in her hands. She kissed him deeply, swallowing his cries as he began to move faster still, the rhythm of his thrusts faltering, becoming frenetic and desperate. "Just like that…keep going, just like that, right there…"

He whimpered, biting his lip in an effort to maintain control as he lowered his face back down into her neck. One hand finally loosed itself from her hair, sweeping down between their bodies to press his thumb hard into her clit. Katara gasped, her fingernails digging into his back, which was now coated with both his sweat and hers. Her own perspiration pooled in her throat, and she could feel his tongue darting out to lick it away.

She could feel that he was close, that he was hanging on for her. She clutched his head tighter to her. "Wait for me, sweetie," she begged. "Wait for me, we'll go together, wait for me sweetie, please…"

He slipped one hand under her bottom, adjusting her hips to slide inside her even deeper, hitting that one particular spot he knew drove her over the edge very quickly. He increased his tempo to drive inside of her as fast as he could, drawing a desperate cry of pleasured approval from his wife. She reached for his hand to guide his fingers back to her center, pressing the soft pads against the little bundle of nerves, and almost the instant he touched her, she came apart. The exquisite, delicious burst of pleasure cascaded through her whole body in wave after wave, the violent contractions of her inner walls coaxing her husband with her over the edge. He cried out her name, and suddenly his arms were no longer strong enough to hold himself up. He collapsed against her in an exhausted heap, his whole body trembling like a newly-born goat-sheep. He clutched her to him as though she were the only thing keeping him from falling off the face of the earth. In that moment, she was.

He whispered words of adoration against her skin, her heart pounding furiously against his, his body still fused to hers as she gently caressed his sopping wet back and shoulders, soothing him and calming him with her touch and voice. Finally, after what seemed like a very long time, he rolled off of her, still clutching her to him so that they were both lying on their sides face to face, foreheads together, breathing heavily.

His grip on her was still desperate. He seemed to notice this and loosed a wobbly laugh.

"I'm sorry," he apologized thickly. "I…I don't think I can let you go." Katara swallowed down the lump in her throat, snuggling closer to him.

"I don't want you to let me go," she whispered back, just as thickly. She buried her face into his damp neck, tucking herself deeper into his protective embrace. "Don't ever let me go, Aang," she asked, her tone vulnerable. He pressed his cheek into her hair.

"Never," he vowed fervently.

* * *

He lay curled up against her a few hours later, his head on her belly, her hand absently stroking the blue tattoo sloping over his skull. His beard tickled the area around her belly button, and she grinned, taking joy in just listening to the even cadence of his gentle breathing. His hand caressed up and down her leg and hip in an equally absent manner, and had she not spoken he was pretty sure he could've fallen asleep just like this.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Katara whispered through the darkness. He lifted his head to look up at her.

"What does it remind you of?"

She blushed slightly. "Our wedding night. The real wedding night, at the Eastern Air Temple. Do you remember?"

He chuckled. "Of course. How could I forget?"

She smiled in nostalgia at the memory. "It was like this. Where we just were awake all night making love over and over again and cuddling."

Aang chuckled again. "If I recall correctly, it lasted a lot longer than just all night."

She pinched his cheek playfully, but nonetheless conceded. "That's true." She pushed herself upright, causing him to rise with her. "But it just feels the same to me. Almost like we're renewing something." She smiled bashfully. "Does that make sense?"

He pulled her into his lap so that they were both sitting face to face, her legs wrapped around his waist. He pressed a warm kiss into her hairline. "Yeah. It does."

She smiled tiredly and lay her head on his shoulder, wrapping one arm around his torso. Her other hand caressed his bare chest as she nuzzled into his throat, and for a brief moment Aang remembered being a 12 year old boy, so hopelessly, ridiculously in love with her that he ached with it constantly, not yet knowing that one day he would be allowed to hold her and touch her and kiss her like this and have every part of her and share children and a life with her. He stroked her back, reminiscing on their wedding night, and before he knew it, the words were out.

"So let's renew it."

"Hm?" she muttered sleepily, blinking up at him.

"Our wedding vows. Let's renew them."

She seemed to freeze for a moment, processing that declaration. He felt himself blush. He knew it was borderline cheesy, but something about it just seemed incredibly appropriate. After all, this was, in many ways, them starting over. It made perfect sense to do something to seal that recommitment.

"You…you really want to?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I really do." He brushed her hair back from her face. "Do you?"

Even in the darkness and moonlight, she could tell she was blushing. Her eyes glimmered, and she framed his face for a soft kiss. "Yeah. I do." She paused, biting her lip suddenly. "Do you remember them?"

"Katara," he began, reciting from memory with perfect ease, "I promise to love, cherish and work day and night to bring you total happiness. I promise to practice generosity, morality, patience, and joy in all I do; mindfulness and wisdom to treat you and all others with loving kindness and compassion, for all the time we are together, knowing that this marriage can only be as good as the two of us make it. I pledge to preserve and enrich our affection for each other, and to share it with all living things. I promise to take the loving feelings we have for one another as an example, and to radiate this love outwards to all."

Katara immediately felt her lower lip start to tremble, very much like it did that night all those years ago as a 20-year old girl. She swallowed roughly, her voice thick with emotion as she recited back.

"Aang, I promise to love, cherish and work day and night to bring you total happiness. I promise to practice generosity, morality, patience, and joy in all I do; mindfulness and wisdom to treat you and all others with loving kindness and compassion, for all the time we are together, knowing that this marriage can only be as good as the two of us make it. I pledge to preserve and enrich our affection for each other, and to share it with all living things. I promise to take the loving feelings we have for one another as an example, and to radiate this love outwards to all."

The exchanged a teary smile. Aang reached up to cup her cheek, stroking his thumb over the ridge.

"Is it okay if I kiss the bride?" He whispered. She loosed a choked laugh.

"You may, Avatar Aang."

**A/N Part Deux: The wedding vows I got by simply googling traditional Tibetan Buddhist vows and adapting them. I figured that was a safe way to do it. Just my personal take on the whole shindig.**

**Also, the next and last chapter is even more NSFW than this one, so...just keep that in mind should you be tempted to open it up while your boss is walking around. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This chapter ended up being much longer than anticipated, so I split it into two and am posting them both at the same time.**

**Also, if the last chapter was very NSFW, these final ones are very very very VERY NSFW. If you're not into reading some pretty raunchy (yet admittedly romantic) stuff, now would be the time to turn back. That said, I don't violate any of the site's guidelines, so let's be cool about it, folks! :) **

**Chapter 13 **

The bright sunlight of a late Spring morning roused Katara from her slumber the next day, spilling in brilliant rays through the open window of their bedroom. A gentle breeze stirred the curtains lazily, the diaphanous material swinging to and fro in a gentle rhythm. Her first awareness was that she felt the warmest, safest and most protected she'd felt in months. Her second was that her entire body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, ached in a downright delicious manner. Her hips and legs were stiff and weak, her arms aching, her shoulders sore, her center just the slightest bit tender still. Smiling wantonly, she remembered why as the memories from the previous evening came flooding back.

Her husband was spooned behind her, one leg thrown over her hip and his arm tossed over her torso, anchoring her snugly against him, his face buried deeply into her hair as he slept soundly. After having spent nearly the entire night making love over and over again in every position possible, they had finally wilted against one another in total exhaustion not even a full hour before dawn – the very slight glow of warm orange tainted the horizon against the indigo backdrop of the night sky as he'd sprawled across her, completely spent beyond the meaning of the word, with his head pillowed against her bare breast and his arms wrapped tightly around her upper body, the soothing beat of her heart lulling him off into deep slumber. Katara had watched him sleep for a few minutes, gently skating across his handsome features with her fingertips and pressing soft kisses to his face before finally cradling his head to her, tucking him into her body and drifting off as well. It seemed that no matter which way they'd turned and moved in their sleep, they'd found a way to remain wrapped around each other. And now here she was, cuddled into the warm crook of his body, so familiar, just as it had always been. Back before things had gotten so complicated between them.

Refusing to follow that line of thought, she tucked Aang's forearm against her middle more securely and snuggled even deeper into his arms. The movement seemed to stir him into wakefulness, and it was at that moment that she became aware of his pulsing arousal pressing against the pliant flesh of her upper thigh. She giggled and wiggled her backside against him suggestively as he began to nibble soft kisses up her shoulder and into the warm crook of her neck.

"So I guess six times in one night didn't manage to do the trick, hm?" she teased, closing her eyes and losing herself in the feeling of his warm lips against her nape. She could feel his smile against her skin.

"Nope. How could you tell?"

She wiggled against him again, squeezing his hand tightly. "Oh, it was just a wild guess. But the evidence is a bit hard to ignore, I do have to say." She glanced an arch look at him over her shoulder and was delighted at the pink tingeing his cheeks. "I don't think we've done that since we were 18." He dropped a kiss to her bare shoulder.

"Well, you can't really blame me. Did you honestly expect me to wake up next to the most beautiful woman in the world and not be ready for more?"

She laughed again, blushing deeply and turning in his arms so that she was lying on her back beneath him, him propped up on his elbow over her. He reached up to tenderly brush her disheveled hair back from her face as she cupped his cheek, stroking the coarse hair of his beard and running her thumb over his lips. He pressed a single kiss to the pad.

"You, my love, are downright insatiable," she teased, framing his face in her hands. Aang closed his eyes, replaying the memories in his mind as he pressed kisses into her palms. The images of her above him, beneath him, in front of him and wrapped around him were seared into his brain, making his whole body fuse with delicious heat. When he opened them again, he smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling, and she felt her heart bloom with love for him.

"Looks like someone wore herself out," he teased back. His hand drifted down, skimming over her throat and down her sternum to skate over her breast, tugging gently at the stiff peak. Katara released a little moan, arching into his touch and pressing her hips more firmly against his, gliding her leg deliberately along the ridge of his erection. Aang gasped her name, incurring Katara's downright smug, self-satisfied grin.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I think if push came to shove, you'd have trouble keeping up with me," she joked. Aang arched his brow at her in a clear, comical challenge.

"Oh, would I, now?"

She reached beneath the covers, wrapping her slender hand around him and stroking slowly and firmly. Aang hissed at her touch, dropping his head against her shoulder, biting his lip against his whimpers. Katara giggled, pressing her mouth against his ear.

"Yeah. I think you would."

In one swift movement, she rolled him on to his back, straddling him with playful aggression. Aang gazed up at her in adoration, hands framing her curvy hips. This was his favorite, and she knew it. She reached down to position his throbbing member against her wet center, and in one movement of her hips, she sank down onto his arousal, feeling him penetrate deeply. Aang groaned, tightening his grip on her hips as she began to rock over him, her long dark hair framing her beautiful face and swinging gently into his own as she engulfed him into her warm heat again and again.

He arched up to meet her in avaricious strokes, basking in her beauty, the morning light giving absolute clarity to her perfect form in a way that candles and moonlight hadn't. Oh, it had been _so long_. Aang found himself wishing that he could somehow freeze this moment in time, stay like this forever – her above him, him buried so deeply within her body, touching all her most hidden places and tasting her kisses and smelling her hair.

"I don't know, Sweetie," he moaned, cupping her breasts, struggling to stay focused but not doing a very good job. "I can't recall…ever having any trouble…keeping up with you before..."

She loosed a laugh, leaning over to capture his lips with her own as she increased her pace, riding him harder, faster. "There's a first time for everything," she murmured against his mouth, before pushing herself back upright to ground down against him with even more force.

It was far too much for her husband, and he sat up, wrapping his arms around her and plundering her throat with open-mouthed kisses. Then, in one swift movement, he flipped her over onto her back, eliciting a squeal of girlish laughter from his wife as he switched their positions. Rising up onto his knees, he grabbed a tighter hold on the curve of her waist and drew her leg higher up over his shoulder to drive inside her fiercely with deep, rapid thrusts. Katara let out a keening cry of pure pleasure, parting her thighs wider to assist him, her hands reaching over her head to grab onto the wooden bars of the headboard as she whimpered and moaned with each enthusiastic, piercing foray into her body.

"Okay…I was wrong…" she gasped around each stroke, "you…can definitely…oh spirits, Aang, _yes_, right there…keep up with me…"

He chuckled, leaning down and burying his face into her neck and grunting into the soft skin there, unable to focus on anything but the amazing sensation created by her slick inner muscles. It wasn't very long before she was arching into him, crying out his name hoarsely and loudly, her whole body convulsing and her inner walls pulsating around him. Her hands whipped back to around his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin and scraping down his back as he savored the incredible feeling of her climax, so hot and tight and wet. He rained kisses on her skin, lightly penetrating her neck and shoulders with his teeth, and it took only a few thrusts more before he was moaning out her name as well, exploding inside of her and filling her up completely before collapsing against her in a jellied heap.

It was a long time that they lay there, Aang clinging to her like a drowning man, pressing soft kisses against her slick throat where he'd bit it while she gently caressed his back, up and down the line of his blue tattoo, stopping to show extra tenderness with her touch every time her fingers grazed the puckered edges of his scar. He panted against her, gasping for air, murmuring "I love you," over and over again as his body began to calm and his breathing began to regulate. She returned the words fervently, her whole body still tingling with sensation. Finally, Aang lifted his head from her breast, and she was both disheartened and confused when she saw his eyes shimmering.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?" she whispered, cupping his cheek, her brow furrowed with worry.

It took Aang a long time to answer. He swallowed hard a few times, obviously trying to speak past a lump in his throat. Finally, when he did, his voice was very thick.

"I missed you, Katara." It was a broken whisper, but she heard the words loud and clear.

Instantly, she felt tears sting the backs of her eyes, and she framed his face in her slender hands, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. Her own throat burned with self-recrimination as she thought about all the pain she had put this wonderful, beautiful man through the last four months. A man who hadn't deserved any of it, whose only crime had always only been loving her too much. More than she deserved.

She pressed a kiss to his arrow, whispering against his skin. "I missed you too, baby."

She rolled onto her side then, taking him with her, and they wrapped themselves up in each other as close as possible, foreheads together, subdued and satisfied and content to just lie together here in their bed. Katara nuzzled his damp neck, licking her own perspiration from his skin as he tightened his hold on her, pressing kisses into her hair and forehead.

They lay there a long while, their breathing calming, heart rates decelerating, him continuing to press his lips against her temple as he rubbed his hand up and down the length of her bare shoulder. Suddenly, she felt his smile against her hair.

"Suki's the greatest."

She burst into giggles, nodding enthusiastically. "She certainly is," she agreed, drawing small circles with her fingers on the soft skin of his bare chest. "The poor kids would absolutely have been scarred for life if they'd stayed, because I gotta tell you," she favored him with a devilish smile, "there was _no way_ I would've been able to stay quiet last night."

She absolutely delighted in his answering blush. "So I'll take that as a 'job well done?'" Katara pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

"Job _very_ well done, Avatar," she confirmed. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her and snuggling back against her, tucking his face against her throat.

"Well, you certainly weren't too shabby yourself," his voice was muffled against her neck. She planted a kiss to the top of his head, nuzzling him there.

"Are you hungry?" She queried after a moment. He grinned up at her lasciviously, his hands smoothing their way up and down her soft curves.

"Always." He bobbed his eyebrows. She guffawed, giving him a playful shove.

"For _food_, I guess I should clarify."

"Oh, yeah. That too," he conceded, reluctantly pushing himself up and out of her embrace. His tummy gave a small rumble. "More so than I thought, actually."

She grinned wantonly, reaching for his hand and interlacing her fingers with his. "I'm not surprised. You were a busy boy," she quipped.

Aang chuckled, sweeping up her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Stay right here. I'll get us some breakfast."

Her brow furrowed. "Oh, sweetie, no, you don't have to. I offered."

"I know, but I want to." He leaned over to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Stay put and relax. I'll be right back." He swung his legs out of bed and strode from the room, shamelessly naked – with the house abandoned, there was no need for modesty. She smiled, admiring his backside appreciatively as he practically skipped out the bedroom door. She already felt new desire stirring within her, which caused her to giggle – she didn't know how she was able to have any energy left after last night, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

Just at that moment, a messenger hawk swooped in through the open window, startling her. It perched itself on the windowsill, a small scroll tied to its leg. She pushed herself upright, frowning in curiosity, and reached for the paper. The bird blinked at her blankly with its onyx black eyes as she unrolled the scroll.

_Hey Sis –_

_We're keeping the kids for the weekend. We have everything we need here for them, so don't worry about it. We were even thinking of taking them to the Crystal Caves – they're all excited. Zuko and Mai and Gran-Gran are helping so it's not too much at all. We'll bring them back Monday after breakfast since there's no school, so make sure your oogies are done by then. You're welcome._

_Enjoy your adult time,_

_Your Perfect Brother_

She couldn't stop the huge smile from taking over her face, touched and surprised by Sokka's indulgent gesture. She was still grinning rather stupidly when Aang came bouncing back into the room, holding two bowls of noodle soup with bread. He stopped short at her expression.

"You look happy." She grinned up at him, holding out the paper for his perusal.

"It turns out Suki is not the only one who's awesome," she remarked appreciatively as he set down the bowls and climbed back into bed with her, taking the scroll. His gray eyes glanced at the message, his eyebrows rising before he regarded her again with an expression akin to someone who had just won the jackpot.

"Seriously?" The unabashed elation in his voice caused her to laugh.

"Seriously." She rose up onto her knees, wrapping her arms around him and pressing a languid kiss to his mouth. He returned it enthusiastically, sighing in bliss at her touch. "Looks like we have the whole house to ourselves for the entire weekend," she murmured against his lips. "Whatever," she kissed him again, "do you," and again, "think we should do about that?"

He smiled at her like a besotted puppy, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"I think I have a few ideas," he whispered back.

* * *

"This is seriously the best thing the mechanist and Sokka ever invented."

Katara groaned appreciatively in agreement as she closed her eyes, purring in contentment at the feeling of Aang's strong, gentle fingers massaging against her scalp. The shampoo was worked up into a rich lather, the foam cascading down both of their nude bodies as he meticulously washed her hair, the warm spray of the shower invigorating and soothing on their sore muscles. Katara pressed her cheek to his chest, taking comfort in his touch. Deep in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but remember what had taken place in this very spot 4 months prior, and the fact that that memory was quickly being replaced with such a wonderful moment was consoling to her.

He used the showerhead to rinse out her long, thick mane, gently combing through it with his fingers. "I love your hair," he murmured, brushing the bubbles away from her forehead. She smiled up at him.

"That's ironic," she remarked. He reached down to pinch her butt, causing her to squeal with laughter.

"I like hair," he remarked. "Just better on you, that's all."

She grinned. "I liked you with hair," she reminisced. "You were very cute with it." She took hold of his face, studying him. "And I really like you with facial hair."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "If I recall correctly, when I first came back from the Fire Nation with this, you asked me what 'that thing on my face' was."

She giggled at the memory. "It just took some getting used to, is all," she replied. She pressed a kiss to his mouth. "Now I wouldn't have you any other way. You're very sexy with it. I love the way it feels on my skin."

He grinned appreciatively. "Oh really?"

She nodded. "Mm hm."

He leaned in to press a kiss to the side of her neck, eliciting a purring moan from her. He nibbled his way down the hollow of her shoulder, over her collarbone, before gently sinking down to his knees in front of her, framing her hips in his hands. He pressed a single kiss to the area right above the vee of curls before smiling up at her seductively.

"Like that?" He whispered.

She felt her center begin to pulse and throb with anticipation. She cupped his cheek and nodded.

"Yes," she whispered back hoarsely. "Exactly like that."

That was all the invitation he needed. He slid his hand up her calf to cup her knee and lift her leg up over his shoulder, opening her body to his avid exploration. He moved his mouth to right against her swollen opening, and her breath began to quicken, coming in tense pants.

"How about right here?" he asked. The warmth of his mouth against her wet entrance caused her to shudder, loosing a groaning moan.

"Yes," she half affirmed, half begged. And before she knew it, his soft lips had engulfed the tiny little nub protruding between her glistening lips. She cried out loudly, her nails digging into his shoulders as her head lolled back against the smooth tile wall behind her.

He was not gentle. He was not slow. He lapped and drank and feasted on her as though he were starving or dying of thirst, plummeting his tongue into her entrance as deep as he could pierce it. It was clear that his goal was to bring her to climax as fast as possible, to watch her come undone, to hold her in his arms as she lost control completely. He worked her with his mouth with a skill and expertise that could only be born from years and years of intimacy. She whimpered louder when she felt one finger, and then two stretch up into her warm depths.

"Aang!" she cried, cupping the back of his head fervently, thrusting her hips into his mouth and on to his hand with increasing franticness. She lifted her leg yet again, placing her foot on his damp shoulder to open herself up more fully to his ministrations. She was teetering right on the edge, cresting, each breath escaping her lungs in a desperate gasp when he suddenly bit down hard on her clitoris, stroking his fingers over that little rough spot just inside her entrance, that sweet area that never ceased to make her lose herself entirely, in one swift movement. Her world exploded as she screamed wildly in ecstasy, feeling her wetness spill out of her freely onto his tongue and hand, the warm, tingling sensations bathing her from head to toe like lava running down the sides of a volcano.

When she finally came back to earth, she was certain that she was going to collapse, but luckily Aang was on his feet again, holding her up. His eyes were dark and swirling with unbridled desire as the evidence of his want for her pressed firmly against her belly. Before she knew it, he was lifting her up and pinning her against the shower wall. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, flinging her legs around his lean hips to assist him and sank down onto his aching erection in one smooth motion.

He immediately let out a hoarse cry of pleasure, pressing his face to her throat as he thrust up into her roughly, messily. Her slick, tight heat surrounding him was almost incomprehensible, the sensations only heightened more by the feeling of the equally hot, wet water cascading down their nude bodies. She wrapped his head in her arms, whispering heated instructions into his ear for him to not hold back, to take her entirely, between her whimpering moans of pleasure, squeezing her muscles around him purposefully with each time he plummeted into her body.

It wasn't very long before his rhythmic grunts into her soft skin started to turn into that sound, the one she knew so well and loved even more – that sweet, little whimpering sound that always signaled his climax was eminent. After only a few thrusts more, his body was seized powerfully by his orgasm, and he held himself still against her, grasping her desperately as he emptied himself deeply inside of her. When the storm passed, suddenly every muscle within him seemed to release, and he slumped against her in exhaustion, his hand flying out to steady them both against the wall. He was incredibly grateful for its presence – without it he knew that they would've both simply sunk to the floor in a boneless heap.

They stood in each other's embrace for a few moments, catching their breath, before he carefully lowered her to the ground with shaking arms. When her feet touched the tile, she gripped his shoulders tightly to keep her trembling legs from giving out, tipping a lethargic, lazy, satisfied grin up at her husband.

He blushed at her expression, pressing his forehead to hers, and she captured his mouth with her own, once again tasting herself on his lips. It was heady and overwhelming and everything she wanted in that moment, and when they broke apart, she couldn't help but giggle at his infatuated grin, one she knew mirrored her own.

"Shall we take a walk?"

* * *

"You don't think any of the acolytes can see us, do you?"

She lay stretched out on her belly, gloriously, shamelessly naked, picking apart a piece of doughy, chewy bread to dip in the little plate of ground up chickpeas, just one of the many things that made up the impressive spread of a picnic they'd packed before heading out to the most secluded area of the island to enjoy the brilliant sunlight and warm weather – not to mention stunning views of the ocean beyond Yue Bay. He lay on his back next to her, equally naked and very carelessly so, taking a resounding bite into a large, tart apple.

"I don't think anyone even knows this part of the island exists except us. We should be safe." He rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow to regard her with a cheeky grin. "Clothes are so overrated, aren't they?"

She laughed heartily, reaching out to pinch his cheek. "You are _loving_ this, aren't you?"

He pressed a kiss to her lips. "If I had it my way, you would always be naked."

She barked another laugh. "I think the kids would be rather disturbed by that." He grinned at her, caressing her back.

"Good point."

She tossed aside the scrap of bread, snuggling up against him to lay her head on his chest. He reclined back to accommodate her, equally tossing away the apple core. She threw one leg over his lips, purring in contentment as she cuddled into his shoulder, his hand sweeping down to stroke over her bare hip.

"I missed this," she sighed happily. Aang pressed a kiss into the crown of her head.

"Me, too." There was a pause as they both contemplated the fluffy clouds drifting overhead. The silence was long, but not uncomfortable. Then, in a very small voice, she finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Aang."

His brow furrowed. He tipped a glance down at her. "What for, sweetie?"

She looked up at him, and the guilt and shame on her face was like a kick to his chest. "For everything. For pushing you away. For being so awful to you when all you wanted to do was help me. For blaming you when it wasn't your fault. For neglecting the kids. For all of it."

He immediately scooted back onto his side to face her, pulling her close. He cupped her cheek, directing her watery gaze to his.

"There's nothing to forgive, baby." He stroked her cheek with his knuckles in a comforting gesture. Katara's eyes fluttered closed, the dark fan of her lashes grazing her cheeks. His complete and utter absolution of her actions, his willingness to forgive her so freely and without reserve, was overwhelming – and something of which she felt completely unworthy.

"You know that's not true. I was horrible," she choked. Aang shook his head.

"You suffered a tragedy, sweetie. And you dealt with it the only way you knew how. You were scared and depressed and sad and your hormones were completely out of synch. It wasn't your fault."

She favored him with a tearful smile, stroking his bearded cheek. "I don't know how you do that."

He kissed her fingertips. "Do what?"

"How you can forgive me so easily. How you can forgive anyone so easily." She swallowed roughly, running her thumb over his lips. "I wish I could be like you."

He captured both of her hands between his and pressed a reverent kiss to her knuckles. "I could forgive you anything, sweetie," he whispered, adoration shining in his gaze. "I love you."

She couldn't help it then, and reached for him, pulling him tight against her and hugging him as hard as she could. "I love you, Aang," she whispered against his ear. "You make me a better person. I'm at my best when I'm with you." She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I want you to always remember that."

He rewarded those fervent words with an equally fervent kiss, and she rolled on to her back, taking him with her, where they made love again, soft and gentle and without reserve, with only the sound of the breeze and water to accompany their muffled moans and sweet cries of pleasure.

* * *

They returned home late that night, having spent the rest of the day enjoying the warm waters off the shore of Air Temple Island, challenging each other to bending battles (all of which Katara won, much to her husband's disgruntled admission) and even curling up together for a short nap in the late afternoon sun. When hunger finally coaxed them out of their hidden paradise back to the house for a quick dinner, the sun was just starting to set. After a small snack, they decided to take a bath, washing themselves of the dirt and grime and sand of the shore.

She sat between his legs, her back pressed against the solid wall of his chest as he once again washed her long hair, combing out the tangles and snarls with the tips of his long fingers. She lay against him in a boneless heap, moaning in approval at the sensation. He chuckled, dropping a kiss to her damp shoulder.

"You like that?"

"Mm hm," she murmured in agreement. Her hands gently caressed his knees as he worked. She felt his arousal pressing against her lower back, and grinned slyly. "Seems like you like it, too."

He chuckled again. "Well, I mean…_come on_." He gestured to their positions. She giggled melodiously, to which he responded by dumping the copper pot of warm water over her head, rinsing out her hair. She sputtered and tossed a wry look over her shoulder.

"Okay. You've made your point, Airbender."

They finished bath time amidst nibbling kisses and playful caresses before finally hopping out and bending the excess water from both of their bodies, dropping it with a muted slosh back into the draining tub. Without any reservation, Katara immediately took his hands and led him back out and down the hallway to their bedroom, eager to be back in his arms as fast as possible.

He reclined back onto the soft mattress, the moonlight spilling through the windows in a beautiful, silvery mist, accentuated by the single candle glowing on their nightstand. He gripped her hand tightly as he sank back into the downy softness of the pillow, and watched with hungry, feasting eyes as she climbed into bed with him, over him. She crawled up his body gently, almost timidly, one leg on each side of his lean hips. His hands framed her own curves as she settled down against him so that she was lying flush with the lines of his own body, taking his face in her hands to press her lips to his, sipping at his mouth. He let out a small whimper as his hands smoothed over her hips, holding her there firmly, before traveling up the warm expanse of her bare back and then tangling themselves in her hair. Her mouth never left his as he sucked on her lips right back, slow, languid, exploratory, holding her head and caressing the soft waves of her hair as he did so. Her taste was so divine, so intoxicating he was certain he could've gotten drunk off of it. Right then, all he wanted to do was kiss her until there was no breath left in his body. He wanted to die kissing her.

Never breaking her lips from his, she shifted ever so slightly atop him so that the tip of his pulsing arousal was positioned at her moist entrance. He moaned at the sensation, gripping her tighter, and she swallowed his cry in yet another fervent kiss as she sank down over him, taking his whole length inside of her. Her breath hitched against his lips and he immediately tightened his grip on her. In response, she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the soft spot just under his chin, and began to roll her hips, ever so slowly, grinding against him in deliberate languor.

He pressed his face into her hair, stoking up to meet her hips with each roll of them, thrusting within her gently and slowly as they rocked together in that same familiar, ageless rhythm. She covered his face with soft kisses, dotting his forehead, his cheeks, his nose and his mouth, the soft area of his neck, his ears.

He reached up with shaking hands to touch her face reverently, the tips of his fingers skating over her features and stroking the soft tendrils of her hair. Once again, that familiar look, as though she were some precious, divine thing, shone in his gray eyes. His gaze was so intense she felt speared by it.

"You're just so beautiful," he murmured. She felt her nose tingle, and in response, she kissed him yet again.

"I love you," she whispered against his mouth.

He seemed to be choked up at that, swallowing hard. He kissed her back, deeper and fuller, and his voice was very hoarse when he responded.

"I love you," he whispered back gruffly. "Since the moment I saw you. You were the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen in my life. You still are."

"Aang," she whimpered, increasing the pace of her movements. She buried her face back into his neck, hugging him tighter as his hands gripped her hips tighter to help guide her. His name escaped her lips in tiny little moans again and again as they raced closer and closer to that sweet peak, his face pressed into her shoulder, one hand smoothing up her back, over her shoulder blades to tangle itself in her dark curls. In all his life, he could only recall one other time when he had ever been as happy, so full of emotion as he was in this moment: the time when he first held his newborn children in his arms. The children that this beautiful woman, his best friend, his soul mate, had given him.

She suddenly pushed herself up, the movement of her hips frenetic and fierce, now, gripping his shoulders as she rode him hard and desperate, biting down on her swollen lower lip. She climaxed easily then, throwing her head back with a piercing cry before collapsing limply back over his chest. He followed her after only a few more thrusts, whimpering her name into her hair before they melted in to each other, gasping and sweaty, clutching one another close.

For a long time she lay sprawled across him, her cheek pressed to his chest, as he smoothed his hands up and down her damp back, pressing kisses into her hair. When he moved to roll so that they could lie side to side, she held him fast to stop him. Her hand stroked his shoulder and bare chest in an adoring caress, and when she spoke her voice was thick.

"I can hear your heart beating," she whispered. "Please…just stay like this? Stay inside me."

He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent, planting a warm kiss on her forehead before she pressed her cheek back against his chest. He caressed her with his fingers, lips and words as she slowly began to nod off to the beat of his heart, and before long all the tension had drained from her body and she fell asleep atop of him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"I just don't understand how he can have _so much hair_."

Katara shook her head in a daze, removing wad after wad of Appa's thick, shaggy coat with each downward stroke of the brush. The bison gurgled in contentment with each combing motion, happy to have his spring coat coming in nice and soft, shedding his winter one with gusto. Aang chuckled, setting down a bucket of hay and mixed vegetables, before approaching his old friend and giving him an indulgent scratch on the flank. Outside the stables, the beginnings of a gentle spring rain had begun to fall, filling the air with the sound and fresh scent of water.

"I would think you'd be used to this by now," he joked. Katara pinned him with a wry look.

"I'm used to it, but that doesn't make it any less astounding. You could make a whole other bison with all of this."

She suddenly squealed at the feeling of his arms encircling her from behind, lifting her off the ground and swinging her away from the shaggy beast. He buried warm kisses into the crook of her neck, causing her to swat at him half-heartedly through her giggles.

"Ack! Aang, stop! I'm covered in bison fur!"

He shrugged carelessly. "So?" he murmured against the hollow of her shoulder. "I'm always covered in Appa's fur. Never bothers me."

She anchored his forearms around her waist, closing her eyes in contentment. "Still. It's gross."

"It's not gross," he reminded her, trailing his kisses up her ear now and over her temple. "It's just – "

"I know, I know. A part of spring." She tossed him an arch look over his shoulder. "I'm still messy though."

"Looks like we're just going to have to go inside and wash you up," he whispered mischievously against the shell of her ear. She cocked one eyebrow at him, the corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

He swept her hair over her shoulder, pressing a kiss to the base of her neck. "I would. Very much."

A half hour later they were fresh out of the shower, still damp but smelling of lavender and cherry blossoms, Katara standing nude in front of the vanity in their bedroom gently running the hairbrush that Earth King Kuei had given her years ago through her wet, tangled waves. She could feel her husband's intense stare on her from across the room and smiled when Aang stepped up behind her, naked as well, to favor her with a fond, boyish grin in the reflection.

His warm arms wrapped around her naked middle, his hands smoothing over the soft skin of her belly and hips as he rested his chin on her shoulder. He turned his face into her wet hair, pressing soft kisses there, trailing them down to the soft spot just below her ear. She let out a low, longing groan in response, letting the hairbrush drop back down onto the vanity to allow her to hug his arms to her tighter.

They both opened their eyes, their gazes meeting in the mirror. He nuzzled her, taking a deep breath, and sighing helplessly into the loosened strands.

"You are so beautiful, Katara," he whimpered, and in that moment it was abundantly clear the power she held over him. She had him completely at her mercy, and both of them were well aware of that fact.

She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down into a long, deep kiss, a languid exchange of breath and sighs and tongue. They both leaned into the dresser, the passion between them building with the length of the kiss, and the next thing she knew she had perched herself on the edge, her legs parted to wrap around his waist, their bodies pressed flush together, one of his hands plunged into her hair to hold her head steady as he kissed her like a man famished.

Suddenly she broke the kiss, nipping delicately at his lip. She could plainly see that he was shaken and overwhelmed, and her whole body felt alive with what felt like currents of electric energy. She cupped his face in her hands, his gray eyes dark and yearning.

He reached up to brush the curling tendrils framing her face back with trembling fingers, his forehead pressed to hers. He swallowed roughly at the silent command in her eyes.

"What do you want, baby?" He whispered.

She paused for a moment, feeling her stomach dip, before very slowly sliding off the dresser. He stepped back slightly to give her more room, and she once again turned around in his arms so that they were both facing the mirror. Their gaze met again, and something extremely deep and intense seemed to lock their eyes together. Without words and without ever taking her eyes from his, she very slowly bent over the dresser, resting her forearms on the smooth mahogany, her dark hair tangled and loose and framing her beautiful face.

Aang loosed a whimpering moan, his hands tentatively yet hungrily reaching out to smooth over the impossibly soft skin of her back. His fingers danced delicately down each notch in her spine, traced each rib bone, caressing her in worshipful adoration before landing on the swell of her hips and backside. Never breaking their shared gaze, he smoothed one hand over the firm, smooth flesh of her buttocks and slid two fingers deep inside of her without preamble.

Instantly, she bit down on her lower lip, her eyes fluttering closed as he began to slowly yet firmly stroke in and out of her warm, tight heat. She moaned in satisfaction before forcing herself to open her eyes again, not wanting to lose sight of him. His free hand caressed her hair, smoothing down over her shoulder and along the swell of the side of her breast as she began to thrust her hips back against the hand working inside of her. She dropped her forehead down against her wrists, her moans growing choppier, hungrier, and then lifted her head to pin him with a dark, demanding stare. It was startling enough to make him stop short, swallowing hard.

"Take me," she growled.

Her tone was so un-Katara like, so commanding, that Aang couldn't help but freeze for a moment in shock. But no sooner had he processed her orders did that shock begin to morph into something else – something equally dark and primal, an almost rabid desire to serve her entirely, to shed all inhibitions, to give her everything and anything she asked of him. Still keeping his eyes glued to hers, he slid his hand from between her legs, grasped her hips, and roughly pulled her back against him, penetrating her deeply.

Katara let out a choked cry, tossing her head back, her eyes threatening to close, but he could tell she was forcing them to stay open, to keep looking at him. One hand stayed grasping her hip while the other slid up her lower back, up her spine, between her shoulder blades and took a firm yet gentle hold on her beautiful neck. She gasped his name, and he slid out of her almost entirely before roughly plunging back in.

He started slow, pulling all the way out and then burying himself completely up to the hilt, delighting in the way her breath hitched in her chest with every piercing penetration. But soon, it wasn't enough, and he began increasing his tempo, thrusting into her with hard, deep strokes, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

Her choppy whimpers of pleasure increased as she thrust back against him equally, harder and harder, rougher and rougher, clearly wanting more, craving it. Her hands shot out to grip the edge of the mirror and the dresser, reaching for something, anything to hang on to as he drove into her fiercely again and again, moving his hand down from her neck to between her shoulder blades to pin her to the wood. His other hand lifted her hips up, tilting them, giving him full access to that sweet spot inside of her, hitting it with each piercing foray into her.

"_Yes!_" Katara screamed, letting loose a noise that could only be comparable to that of a savage animal. Her wanton response was so overwhelmingly erotic that Aang was certain he was going to die on the spot. Each gasping breath she drew brought him closer and closer to the edge. "Oh, spirits, Aang! Like that! Just like that, don't stop, please!"

Their gazes still fused, he leaned over her, sucking greedily on the skin of her shoulder, sinking his teeth into the back of it. One hand slid up to grab a fistful of her hair, not at all hard enough to hurt her but just strong enough to tame. He gently tugged at it, coaxing her to keep her gaze meeting his own.

"You like that, baby? You like it nice and hard like this?"

She whimpered uncontrollably, nodding her head, biting down hard on her lower lip. "Yes! Just like that! I love it!"

She loosed what almost sounded like a sob, and finally succumbed to the temptation to close her eyes as his thrusts became less rhythmic, messier, unfocused. There it was again – that whimpering, helpless little sound, and she knew he was just as close as she was. His other hand reached down between her legs to press hard against her clit, causing her to release a keening cry of pure pleasure, and she once again dropped her forehead down onto the dresser, too overwhelmed to keep her head up.

Her husband was having none of it. He buried his face deep into her hair, thrusting uncontrollably, and could barely choke out his desperate plea:

"Please, Katara, baby, open your eyes," he gasped. "Look at me. I want to see your eyes when you come. Please."

Unable to deny him anything, she let loose a sobbing gasp, her eyes watering from the pleasure before forcing her head up and opening her gorgeous blue eyes to meet his once again. The rawness, the exposure, the vulnerability was almost impossible to process. In that moment, neither one had ever looked more beautiful to the other.

"Aang," she whimpered thickly, her throat closing with emotion. "I…you…"

Suddenly she let out a reverberating cry as her orgasm slammed into her, her inner walls contracting violently around him. It was a cross between a sob and a scream, raw and aching, and try as she might to keep her eyes locked with his, eventually she was simply unable to, and her lids fell shut as she rode out the waves of pleasure. She felt him thrust once, twice, then a third time so hard one of her glass bottles of cream fell and shattered onto the floor, his whole body constricting and convulsing as he savored the rhythmic beating of her slick muscles. He cried out hoarsely, certain that he'd never experienced such a powerful climax in his entire life as he fell over her back, both of them slumping against the dresser completely, totally and thoroughly spent.

They lay there for a long while in panting silence, exhausted and dripping with sweat, their breath ragged and choppy. They both continued to whimper, and Katara felt her whole body shaking more violently than she could recall in any recent time. He gasped into her hair, trembling and spent and shocked, and she felt his hand slide down her arm towards hers, seeking out her fingers, interlacing them with his own.

"Katara," he whimpered desperately, pressing soft kisses into the hair at the nape of her neck. She gripped his hand tighter, and finally lifted her head to regard him. He did as well, their watery gazes meeting in the reflection.

"That was…that was…" The words were broken and garbled and uttered with great difficulty, as it was hard to speak around the rapid beating of her heart. Aang swallowed hard, nodding.

"Yeah…"

After a few more moments, he finally found the strength to lift himself from the warm expanse of her back, pushing himself upright with jellied arms. She moaned at the loss of his warmth but simply could not move for fear of collapsing. He noticed her struggle, and gently reached forward to assist her, lifting her from the dresser, holding her tightly and slipping from her body as he did so. Once again, she moaned at the loss of him inside of her, but continued to grip tightly onto his arms holding her up. Both of them were visibly quaking from head to toe as he continued to press soothing, sweet kisses into her hair and onto her temple.

"It's okay," he whispered softly. "I've got you, baby. I've got you. Shhhhh."

She nodded, her breath hitching in her chest, and her voice was tight with emotion when she spoke. "I…I can't move," she confessed.

In one, smooth motion, he picked her up, carrying her on his own still-shaking legs over to the bed. He lay her down gently, climbing in next to her, pulling her against him face-to-face and intertwining her legs with his. She instantly snuggled into his warmth, resting her forehead against his bare shoulder with a groan, feeling his strong arms wrap around her as he continued to soothe her with sweet, soft kisses against her face, hair and neck. His hands smoothed up and down her warm, bare back, sifted through her hair, and after several minutes her breathing began to calm, her shaking subsiding.

She was suddenly so tired she simply couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and if Aang's drooping eyelids were any indication, he was in the same boat. He tucked himself into her body, his fingers grazing down the soft skin of her neck, which was dotted with several dark bruises from the past day and a half. Even through his fatigue, she saw him blush, which caused her to favor him with a small smile. No words were spoken as he buried his face against her collarbone, clutching her tightly.

"I love you, Katara," he mumbled sleepily. "I love you so much."

She brushed soft kisses over his eyelids. "I love you, too," she whispered tenderly, before cradling him against her and surrendering to her fatigue.

* * *

He was lying on his back when he came to, twisted and sunken into the warm bed sheets. Once the fog of sleep had cleared, the first sensation he noticed was light, soft kisses peppered across his chest. Humming contentedly at the gentle ministrations, he lifted his head slightly, opening his eyes to see his wife pressing her lips to his skin again and again, her soft hands smoothing over the sparse hair on his bare chest. With a drowsy smile, he lifted his hand to sift through her dark hair, causing her to look up at him and favor him with a loving grin.

"Hi," he whispered, his expression completely infatuated. She giggled.

"Hi," she replied softly, her eyes sparkling before she lowered her head once again to continue her nipping ministrations. He continued stroking her hair as her kisses began to descend, over the lean, hard muscles of his abdomen and down further still into the grooves of his hips. He hissed with pleasure, his hips reflexively lifting slightly off the bed to meet her tender touch. His stomach tightened with anticipation as Katara made it abundantly clear where she was headed and what her intentions were. When she glanced up at him again, her eyes were half-lidded and heady, her lips swollen.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb with a rough swallow. "You know you don't have to," he whispered.

She merely smiled, laying her hand over his and pressing a kiss into his palm. Then, without another word, she lowered her head once again, pressing her soft lips against his rapidly-hardening genitals, feeling him swell and stiffen under her touch. He groaned at the contact of her mouth against him, his fingers reflexively bunching into her hair as her gentle hand reached up to wrap around his throbbing arousal. He let out a cry as she began to stroke him, firmly and slowly, gliding her warm hand up and down his length. He bit down hard on his lower lip as his hips began to buck weakly, his breath hitching in his chest.

Pleased at his reaction, Katara watched his eyes fall closed in rapturous abandon, then pressed her lips to the swollen tip of him. She gently kissed the head, lapping up the sticky drops that had already started to form there, eliciting another aching moan from her husband before she took him entirely into her mouth, engulfing him with wet heat.

Aang hissed enthusiastically, letting out a hoarse cry, one hand bunching in her hair and the other gripping onto the sheets as he thrust weakly up into her mouth. Katara's slow, steady rhythm began to build into a faster, stronger tempo as she gripped him firmly at the base of his erection, squeezing him gently while she sucked with practiced ease. She made sweet, little noises as she lavished him with her mouth and hand, and they were so arousing Aang was afraid it was going to end far sooner than he wanted. He smoothed her hair away from her face so he could watch her, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. She was incredibly gifted at this, always had been, and every single time seemed to be better than the last.

Katara smoothed her other hand up his hip and over his chest, her head bobbing in a firm, steady rhythm as her fingers reached for his. He immediately detangled his hand from the sheets, grasping hold of her own and clutching it to him desperately while she worked him with her warm, sweet mouth. Despite his sexual haze, he managed to press an adoring kiss to her fingers, the hand in her hair applying stronger pressure against the back of her head as he felt his self-control starting to slip away. She could feel him cresting, could feel him trying so hard not to thrust too hard or too deep, and that only intensified her desire to make him lose himself the way he always did for her.

Relaxing the muscles at the back of her throat, she released the base of his arousal and engulfed his entire cock into her mouth in one swift motion. Aang cried out her name, gasping and writhing, absolutely certain that he was about to die. At her aggressive insistence, all self-control was lost. He thrust deeply and quickly into her mouth, squeezing her hand and her head in equal measure with each stroke upwards. Katara, desperate to be as close to him as possible, released her grip on his hand and wrapped both arms underneath his bottom and around his waist, hugging his hips to her tightly as she sucked him hard and fast. Both of his hands combed through her dark waves, each exhale an ecstatic cry of pleasure, and he knew he wasn't going to last.

"Sweetie," he gasped, "I'm going to…"

The warning was needless. If anything, it made her more determined still to send him over the edge. In that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to feel him explode inside of her mouth, to drink him down hungrily and take that part of him into herself forever. She sucked him greedily, and it took only a few thrusts more before he was arching up into her mouth, letting out a long, keening cry as he filled her mouth with the hot, pulsing spurts of his climax. She drank down every last drop, continuing to slide her tongue over him until she felt him begin to soften, heard him hiss with pleasure at the friction her tongue created against his sensitive, softened flesh. Finally, she released him from her lips, but she wasn't done yet. She continued to press adoring, fervid kisses everywhere between his legs – his softened member, the dark hair above it, the soft flesh beneath it, the grooves of his hips, his inner thighs – over and over again until she exhausted herself, finally laying her cheek against his upper thigh in an attempt to catch her breath.

Aang lay there spent, love thick and heavy and spilling over in his chest, and he reached for her desperately, pulling her up his body so that they were lying flush in each other's embrace. She was still winded, but despite it could not stop returning his deep, fervid kisses with all the passion she felt inside of her. Finally, he pressed a warm, long kiss to her forehead, snuggling as close as he could, breathing in her scent as her heart rate began to calm, as her gasps began to morph into slow, even inhales and exhales.

"Can we just stay like this forever?" he whispered vulnerably. She smiled at him, sweeping up his hand and pressing soft, nibbling kisses to the tips of his calloused fingers.

"Forever," she pledged thickly.

* * *

A few hours later, she was lying on her back, him settled over her hips as he kissed her stomach in worship. She giggled at the ticklish sensation, causing him to chuckle as she slid on up to a seated position, cross-legged on their bed, leaning against the headboard. Following her cue, he curled up next to her, laying his head in her lap, his large hands smoothing around her waist. She squirmed, ticklish again at the feeling of his soft lips against her belly button, and gently framed his head, smoothing her palm over the very beginnings of stubble that had started to form on his scalp. She bit back an amused smirk.

"Looks like someone's been neglecting his shaving routine," she commented wryly. He turned to glance up at her.

"Looks like someone's been _completely distracting me_ from my shaving routine," he volleyed back playfully.

"Guilty as charged," she admitted without the slightest bit of remorse. Aang laughed into her belly, taking a moment to appreciate the more pronounced roundness of her abdomen and hips since the births of their children. The extra curves and fuller roundness of her body did nothing but accentuate how incredibly breathtaking she was to him, and the knowledge that those changes had come from giving him their three beautiful babies just made her more so. He smoothed his hand up and down her thigh, sighing blissfully as she continued to cradle him to her.

He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch, absorbing himself in her presence when she suddenly whispered his name. He turned in her lap to regard her. "Hm?"

She seemed a bit timid about what she was set to ask, but managed nonetheless. "Do you ever…have you ever wondered what this would be like with…with someone else?"

He seemed genuinely confused at the inquiry, blinking up at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Her cheeks were red, and she suddenly appeared massively insecure. Her voice was tight, as though she were afraid of his answer. "I mean…the only woman you've ever been with is me, and the only man I've ever been with is you. And maybe…when I was really not doing well…maybe you might've thought about –"

He gripped her tightly, cutting off her rambling. "No. Never," he said flatly, and it was clear by his fervent tone that there was no room for argument. She smiled timidly at his ferocity, feeling a wave of relief wash over her, but couldn't resist pressing nonetheless. She knew that she was probably being ridiculous, but for some reason desperately needed the validation nonetheless.

"Really?" She ran one hand down his cheek, her voice barely above a whisper. He turned in her lap to press a sound kiss to her belly.

"Katara," he said gruffly, "there is no room in my heart for any woman but you. It's been that way since I was 12 years old, and that is never, ever going to change." Another kiss, a bit higher, between her breasts. "_Ever_."

She felt her eyes fill at his sweet sincerity, framing his face to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "I feel the same way," she whispered back.

They spent the rest of the day tangled together in bed, the rain continuing to fall steadily outside, leaving the soft warmth of the pallet only to prepare dinner. When night fell, it seemed too fast for them, too soon – the kids would be back in the morning and their weekend of paradise would regrettably come to a close, to be replaced by real life once again.

She tried not to think about that as she straddled his lap, him sitting up against the headboard, holding her steady with his arms wrapped tightly around her as she rode him in a slow, steady rhythm. Her hands gripped the wall behind him, then moved to cradle his head as she ground against him, hearing his whimpers as he buried his face deeply into her neck, his senses completely overwhelmed by her. His hands wandered up to tangle themselves in her hair as he murmured her name.

She pulled back to look him in the eyes, her forehead touching his, never breaking her rhythm. He swallowed thickly.

"I love you," he whispered. She took hold of his beautiful face, kissing the bridge of his nose, then the tip of his arrow.

"I love you," she replied fervently, her warmth breath against the skin of his forehead.

Soon they were rigid in each other's embrace, tumbling over the edge together with a shared moan of pleasure before sinking down into the softness of their bed. They stayed locked in their embrace, almost as if they believed that if they held each other tightly enough, the next day wouldn't come.

* * *

"OH, LOOK AT THAT! WE'RE HOME! I SURE HOPE YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER ARE READY TO SEE US!"

Suki's extremely loud and overly-insinuating cry pierced the late morning, causing Aang to laugh wryly as he took another sip of his jasmine tea. As it turned out, there was no need for his sister-in-law to worry; he, as well as Katara, were both quite clothed and ready to receive their children, whose squeals of excitement could already be heard at the front door. Despite his sadness at their private weekend ending, he had to admit he was looking forward to seeing the kids again. Underneath it all, he had missed them.

Katara came into the kitchen, fresh from her shower and also chuckling at Suki's warning call. She had no time to respond, however, because at that exact moment Bumi came bounding into the kitchen, running straight to his mother's open arms.

"Mommy!" he squealed, throwing his arms around her neck as she giggled, lifting him up into a big embrace. She pressed enthusiastic kisses to his small face as she hugged him tightly.

"How's my big boy? Did you have a fun weekend with your sister and Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki?"

"It was so neat, Mommy! They took us to the caves and there were all these rocks!"

The three in question waltzed into the kitchen at the sound of their names, Sokka cradling Tenzin on his hip and Suki carrying the bags. Kya, who looked tan and refreshed, ran to her father, who immediately scooped her up into an equally fervent embrace.

"Dad! You should have seen it! We have to go back sometime and you can earthbend in there and it would be so cool! Bumi and I collected so many neat crystals!"

Aang lifted his eyebrows. "Really? Wow! What did you do with them all?"

Sokka grunted wryly, gesturing towards one of the bags Suki was holding. "What do you think is in there?"

Katara laughed heartily. "All of them?!"

Suki shook her head, placing down the duffles. "Nah. Just one. The rest is their stuff and some food we're sending home with them. Kya and I baked yesterday because of the rain. We also did a lot of arts and crafts," she explained. "_A lot_."

"We made cookies and cakes and bread, Mom!" Kya chirped excitedly.

"Sounds delicious, sweetheart," Katara indulged, pressing a kiss to her daughter's head. Aang, in turn, pressed a kiss to Bumi's. "How was Tenzin?"

"Oh, easy as pie," Sokka remarked. "Although he is crawling _everywhere_. You should see how fast he can go. It's astounding."

"It's true," Suki remarked contemplatively. "Way above average for that age, actually." She favored the couple with a smirk, unable to resist ribbing even just a little bit. "And how about you two? Did you have a nice weekend?" Her tone was undeniably cheeky, and the deep pink blushes on both of their faces were all the answer she needed.

"What did you and Mommy do, Daddy?" Bumi asked innocently. Sokka coughed, clearly uneasy. Despite the heat in his face, Aang smiled at Bumi and ruffled his hair.

"We had fun too, buddy! We –"

"Yeah, I'm sure you did," Suki interjected brightly. Aang and Katara both pierced her with a quelling look, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing.

"We had a picnic and went swimming and spent some time with Appa," he finished brightly. Technically, none of it was a lie. Bumi grinned as Katara placed him back down on the floor.

"Oh, oh! I have to show you something!" He trotted over to one of the bags, reaching inside to pull a paper out of its side pocket. He ran to his father's side and presented it to him proudly. Aang took it, grinning widely.

"Wow! What's this?"

"Open it!"

Aang obliged, and was greeted with a messy display of fluffy balls of cotton glued to the paper with crude stick-like lines sticking out of it. In the middle was a messy arrow.

"It's Appa, Daddy!" Bumi chirped proudly. "See! I put the arrow and everything! Do you like it?"

Aang felt his throat constrict with pride and emotion. He pulled Bumi close, enveloping him in an exuberant hug and pressing a kiss to his hair.

"I love it, Buddy. I'm going to put it in me and Mommy's room. Thank you."

"We have to show it to Appa too!"

"We will. I'm sure he'll love it."

Meanwhile, Kya had sidled over to her mother, looking a bit shy. "I made you something too, Mom," she whispered. Katara knelt down before her with a warm smile.

"Really?"

Kya reached into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out a necklace made of crystals and rocks. "It's from the cave," she explained. "I used all the blue ones I could find." She was now blushing very deeply, which was rare for her bossy, outgoing daughter. She felt a lump form in her throat as she reached for the jewelry with trembling fingers, turning it over in her hands.

"Do you like it?" Kya asked. Katara reached for her, peppering her face with adoring kisses, and there was something about the moment that was incredibly healing and deep. There was a time, not even a few months ago, where try as she might, she would not have been able to feel anything in this instant. And now, she was so full of love and pride for her little girl she felt she was going to burst.

"I love it, sweetheart," she whispered thickly, clasping the jewelry around her neck. It clashed horribly with her wedding necklace, but she couldn't care less. Now, she could have all of the loves of her life with her, wherever she went.

Sokka and Suki favored the family with a fond smile. "You guys okay then?" Sokka queried.

Aang and Katara shared a profound look, and while they knew Sokka's question was meant to ask if it was okay to leave them for the day, Katara's reply meant much more than that.

"Yeah, Sokka. We're wonderful."

* * *

Kya and Bumi yelped and squealed, splashing each other over and over again and laughing as they waded around in the knee-deep water on the shores of Yue Bay. Tenzin, who had seemingly tired himself out with all of his crawling, dozed soundly on the blanket beside them. The sunset was stunning that night, streaking the sky with oranges and purples and yellows and reds, and the parents watched their children with besotted expressions as they played and frolicked without a care in the world.

She sat between his legs, his arms wrapped tightly around her as they watched, protecting her against the chill that was beginning to set into the early summer evening air. She seemed lost in watching their kids laugh and play, and it brought a tender smile to his face. His pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Katara?"

She turned to look at him, her face full of love and happiness. "Hm?"

"Are you happy?" He whispered.

If possible, her grin grew even wider. She shifted around so that she was seated between his knees, framing his face in her hands and pressing a long, lingering, soft kiss to his mouth. When she pulled back to look at him, her eyes were shining and alive.

"Yes, Aang," she whispered back. "I'm very happy."

**The End.**

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading so faithfully and for your reviews! This was a privilege to write and was honestly a huge undertaking. I really gave it my all so it's so nice to see that others enjoyed it too. Also, thank you to the several other fandom writers who offered support and encouragement while I wrote this, posted recs and links to it on their tumblrs, and otherwise were just totally awesome.**

**And of course, a very special thank you to DJNS for trusting me with what is inarguably the most beloved and well-known Kataang fic in the entire fandom, Tales of Republic City. I hope that you felt this little fic supported your piece and I can't tell you how appreciative I am of your willingness to share your work with others and let them collaborate and explore with it. You rock, lady!**


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